The Beginning is the End is the Beginning
by Audri
Summary: A work in progress.... Set sometime in the fourth season, Sam and Dean follow the trail of their latest case to Savannah, GA. What's next for the infamous Winchesters? Something they never saw coming... Slightly AU-ish. SamxOC, DeanxOC.
1. We Like to Drown Our Sorrows, Thank You

**Author's Note:**

Greetings and salutations to you all! This happens to be my very first fanfiction on here and I'm terribly excited to see what you think! This is actually a combined effort between me and my esteemed partner in crime, the very talented Auryonette. I'm posting the first snippet to get a feel of what you all think of it. We've gotten a good bit more already written but we were really curious to see what others thought of the premise. So please read and review and we will be eternally grateful! Thanks so much!!

**Disclaimer:**

Between Auryonette and I we probably own $5, two old cars, a bunch of books, and a few fat animals. You won't find Dean or Sam in our closets because we don't own them or anything in the Supernatural world. That would all belong to the glorious mind of Eric Kripke and his team. So yes, we don't own a thing. Simply borrowing for the time being. But they may not want them back once we're through with them. One can only hope.

**Winnfield, LA**

"Another one?" the bartender asked as he took up the two empty bottles.

"Oh yeah," Sam Winchester sighed as he gave the man a small smile.

"In fact," his brother, Dean Winchester, murmured as his face was pressed into the bar itself, "just keep 'em coming."

"Rough night boys?" Two fresh bottles clanked against one another as the bartender opened them up to set before his customers.

"Try rough life," Dean said as he finally lifted his head enough to down half the beer. "Yeah…" he groaned as his face contacted with the bar again, "I'm gonna need something a little bit stronger. Two shots," he held up two fingers, "I don't care what they are as long as it will burn like hell going down."

The bartender raised an eyebrow at Sam before turning to the bottles of liquor lined up behind him.

"I'm sorry," Sam apologized, "my brother's just a little cranky today."

"Yeah well you can't tell me you aren't pissed as hell too," Dean mumbled.

"Well no, I'm not happy about it but you _know_ we didn't have any other choice Dean," Sam sighed again as he placed his face in his hands.

There was a slight thud as two shots of brown liquor were plopped down in front of each brother.

"But I didn't…" Sam began.

"These are on the house son," the bartender interrupted him, smiling. "Anything that could cause that kind of look in your eyes certainly demands strong liquor."

At this point, Dean resurfaced to slam back one of the shots in front of him. "And just what kind of look would that be," he demanded, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

The bartender paused before answering, taking a moment to look each of the boys in the eye. "Well, you look like you just had a part of yourself ripped away." The Winchesters looked at one another and then stared back at the bartender with raised eyebrows. "What I mean is, I see a lot of folks come in here that have problems. Money, work, well pretty much everything. I only see the kind of pain you two are in when someone's lost something dear to their heart. You fellas hadn't been to a funeral have you?"

"No sir, no one died," Sam replied.

"Did your lady friends leave ya?" the bartender asked as he wiped off a mug.

"No, not exactly," Sam answered, shaking his head. He took a deep breath and downed one of his shots. "We kinda left them."

"Well if you're so broken up about it then get off your asses and onto your knees!" the bartender laughed. "You two look a couple of lady killers. I'm sure you could sweet talk your way back into their good graces! Hell, I can't count the number of times I've had to get down and beg to be let back in my house. My wife can be mean as a snake but she always opens the door….eventually."

Sam looked over at his brother who was staring at the contents of his second shot. "Yeah well, that's the problem. We can't go back. It was a conflict with our _job_ you see…"

"Ah hell, you can make money anywhere. It's hard to find a good woman. Were they good to ya?" the bartender asked, leaning forward on his forearms.

"Of course!" Sam exclaimed.

"Pretty?" the bartender winked as he said this.

"Beautiful," Sam sighed.

"Did you love 'em?"

There was a loud clunk as Dean slammed the now empty second shot glass down. "Hell! Of course we did! You think we'd be sitting here like this if we didn't? And damn it!! We shouldn't have. God damn it…" he said as he pushed away from the bar and moved to sit at a dimly lit table in a corner of the room.

"I-I'm sorry son. I didn't know it was such a sensitive subject," the bartender stammered.

"Have you ever had to do something you would give most anything to not have to do?" Sam murmured as he stared at the bottle he was now holding.

"No…I don't think I have."

"Well, I hope you never have to," Sam said as he tossed a few bills on the bar. The bartender watched as he picked up both his and his brother's beers, and moved across the bar to sit across from the young man who was determinedly staring holes in his clenched fists.

"Dean?" Sam asked as he slid into the booth.

"Yeah Sammy, I'm okay. Well no…I'm not, but I'll live I guess," Dean forced a laugh as he looked at his younger brother.

"Why us Dean? Why are we always losing? Losing the things that we _need_…" his voice trailed off as he lowered his eyes to the table.

Dean took the bottle that Sam handed him, finishing it off in one long swallow. "I don't know Sammy. I just don't know. But I gotta say I'm damn tired of it. Damn tired."

The bartender watched the brothers sporadically as he served other customers, and as the last patron left he flipped the sign from open to closed and walked over to their table in the corner. "Why don't you boys tell me what happened, and maybe we can figure out a way to fix this grave you seem to have dug yourselves into."

Dean covered his face with his hands and muttered, "Yeah. Sure. Good idea…tell the civi what's going on."

The bartender only raised an eyebrow at that and said, "Boy…I might not know you. But I ain't no civi. I heard about some stuff that happened a few states over a month or so ago…couldn't get out there to take care of it myself but I take it you boys got the job done?"

Both Sam and Dean gave him a startled look and they both sputtered, "Are you trying to tell us that you're a hunter?"

"Don't look so surprised boys. You'd be amazed at the jobs you pick up just listening to people yakking away while they're drinking. The other customers think they're just crazy stories, but that's not always the case now is it?" The bartender replied with a grin as he went to the bar and got a fresh bottle of whiskey and three shot glasses. He poured three shots out as he sat down saying, "Consider any drinks we have the rest of the night to be just a few buddies having shots and trading stories. So why don't you two relax and just tell me what happened?"

Sam and Dean traded a look and threw back their shots. Sam said, "It's a bit of a long story, and more than slightly complicated…you sure you wanna hear all this?"

Dean said, "You heard the man! Just tell him what happened and let him laugh at how stupid we are…how we completely and utterly acted like jackasses!" as he banged his hand on the table for emphasis.

The bartender chuckled and said, "Well…I've got all night. So let's have it. Start at the beginning. I'm sure this is going to be a doozy."

The brothers muttered, "You got that right." Sam heaved a sigh and started, "Well I guess it all started about two months ago…we got wind of some strange stuff happening in Savannah, Georgia."


	2. Here Comes Trouble

**Two months earlier**…**Savannah, GA**

_**Twin Stars Motel**_

"Sam…Sam……SAMMY!"

Sam Winchester jumped as he suddenly realized his brother was simultaneously shaking him and yelling.

"Wh-what?" Sam stammered as he came back to reality. "Sorry Dean, I must have zoned out there."

"Yeah, you were a regular space cadet for a minute or so," Dean said, eyeing Sam. "What happened?"

"Well I was going over the stuff for this case and then…" he shrugged. "I-I don't know what happened then."

"You sure you didn't see anything? Hear anything?" Dean asked with a hint of skepticism.

"No! If I did though I certainly don't remember it now," Sam insisted.

"Okay, well anything pops back into your head fill me in." Sam didn't look at his brother. "Sam!" Dean said a little louder. This time, Sam did look up. "No more keeping stuff from me. You're all I've got."

"I know Dean!" Sam insisted. "Anything comes up I'm definitely going to tell you."

"All right," Dean said as he plopped down on the third rate motel bed. "You were reminding me why we're here in this sauna. God I _hate_ humidity."

"Yeah well, I'm not a fan of it either but like I said earlier, I really think we've got something here. I told you what Ruby said when she called…" Sam began as he shuffled through some papers.

"Yeah, yeah," Dean interrupted. "Little Miss Congeniality wants us to look into a string of deaths. You know, I don't know what it is but I liked her whole lot better when she was sharing with that blonde chick. Is it just me or is she a hell of a lot bitchier now that it's just her?"

"That's not the point Dean," Sam sighed as he continued digging through the pile of papers.

"I'm just saying…" Dean added, shrugging, but Sam was already ignoring him again.

"Okay, from what I can gather, there have been ten deaths within the past 3 months. No obvious connections among them; some were men, some women, and there was a range of ages. Different occupations…hang on," Sam paused as he compared several pages.

"What have you got?" Dean asked as he leaned over for a closer look.

"Well, the only thing that they all seem to have in common is they were all parents. Parents of young kids to be exact, I think the oldest one is ten…" Sam rummaged through the pile in front of him again.

"Yeah so? Lots of people have kids. I'm not really seeing a connection here," Dean argued as he stretched out on the bed.

"True, but see here?" Sam tossed a piece of paper at Dean. "Seven of the kids who had a parent die were put into therapy after it happened. I know that happens in regular situations but…"

"But just maybe these kids saw something," Dean finished, sitting back up to finally look at the paper that had landed on his chest.

"It's completely possible," Sam continued. "I think we need to track down some of these doctors and see what these kids are saying."

"We know where they're going?" Dean asked, looking up at his brother.

"Yeah, and we've actually lucked out. Five of the kids are all going to doctors in the same clinic. The Croft & Tarrow Center for Psychology."

"Sounds fancy," Dean interjected.

"Apparently, there are two doctors involved with the kids there, Charles Shumaker and Serena MacKeltar."

"Alright well let's get this show on the road! The quicker we can find out what this thing is...and kill it...the quicker we can get out of this sauna!" Dean said with a grin. "I vote we visit the chick first."

"Ha ha Dean," Sam chuckled as they moved to gather their gear and head out.

* * *

_**The Croft & Tarrow Center for Psychology**_

"Look Laney...I have no idea how you scored the corner office....but I'm betting top dollar you slept your way to the top," Mara MacKeltar teased her cousin as she took in the spacious office on the third floor.

"Yes Mara, that's exactly how I did it. How did you guess?" Serena Elaine MacKeltar replied with a grin. "So how was the drive? I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I know....but you know how I am. I don't like to stop overnight when I can just as easily crash as soon as I get wherever I'm going. So why don't you tell me what's got you calling me in the middle of the night asking me to drive down ASAP from a few states away?" Mara asked as she draped her 5' 10" frame over one of the plush couches.

Serena sat down on the other end of the couch and tucked her legs underneath her. "Well, I told you that we've had several deaths in the area. It's been both men and women, but they were all parents of young children. They've all happened too close together for me to buy the natural causes claim. Also, several of the kids were put into therapy after one of their parents died. Not an uncommon thing, but with all of this happening at around the same time, it just seemed like something more up your alley. I just haven't been able to see a pattern yet," Serena explained as her blue eyes watched for her cousin's reaction.

"Are they all your patients?" Mara asked, green eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Gods no. Only three of them are mine. There are other licensed child psychologists in the area, even in this building Mara," Serena laughed.

"I know, but you can't help it that you're the best," Mara grinned. "I just wanted to make sure. Honestly, it would be nice if they were all yours. It'd be so much easier to figure out why this is happening and if there's a pattern if I could get my hands on all the records….anyways! Any of the kids claiming they saw something out of the ordinary? Something that just can't be explained?"

"Well," Serena sighed, "let me get the files. You really need to read this." She got up and made her way over to a large black file cabinet and began rummaging through one of the drawers. "Ah! Here we go!" she exclaimed, drawing out three files overflowing with papers. She bumped the drawer shut with her hip and made her way back to the couch where she handed the files over to the red head sitting there. "There was one unusual thing I noticed. I'm not sure about the kids that are seeing the other doctors, obviously, but the ones I'm seeing have all stated that they kept seeing one of their parents come back home wearing something different from what they left in."

Mara leafed through one of the files and started reading the preliminary reports. "That's not unusual is it though?" she asked. "Hell they could've gone to the gym or something during their lunch break or maybe a hot affair on the side…"

Serena gave Mara a straight look. "They saw them come back in right after they supposedly left. Like maybe five minutes after, wearing different clothes. But they also said that their parent didn't look right...like something was underneath their face...like they were wearing a mommy/daddy mask."

"Whoa….creepy? Alright then…what are the remaining parents saying?" Mara asked with a slight shudder.

"They keep saying something to the effect of 'I just don't remember what they were wearing….it was them, I know my wife, I know my husband'. You know the story," Serena replied as she watched Mara shuffle through the files.

A puzzled look crossed Mara's face as she continued to read but a few moments later, she snapped the open file shut and leaned back to stretch. "Well," she said stifling a yawn, "it might take me a little while to figure out what this thing might be, but I've got a couple of ideas springing to mind that I'm going to check out first. Hopefully one of those is the right one and I can go pop this thing off the map and we can actually have some fun while I'm here!" She ended with a wink to her cousin who was intently staring at the floor. "Uhh Laney? Helllloooo….earth to Serena!!" she said loudly as she waved her hand in front of the other woman's face.

"What? Oh…sorry. Kinda zoned out there for a minute," Serena grimaced, shaking her head.

"You been doing this space cadet thing a lot lately?" Mara asked as she set down the files she was still holding.

"Well, not until recently. But with all this happening, and these poor kids coming in….I guess I've just been thinking a lot about what could be going on with them and how I can fix it. Which is why I called you in the first place. You're the only one I know who would help me….or even believe me," Serena replied.

"You mean, I'm the only one crazy enough to buy what you're selling," Mara added with a laugh. "Don't worry. We'll figure this out and then we'll go all BAMF and take whatever it is off the radar for good," Mara said with a grin, getting visibly excited at the fight that would be sure to come.

Serena grinned as well. "I don't think you know a mode other than BAMF when it comes to this kind of stuff." She glanced down at her watch. "I've only got one more patient for today, but after that we can get started on the research. Why don't you head to my place and rest up til then?"

Mara stood up and twisted from side to side, stretching her back. "Sounds good to me," she yawned. "I'm beat from all that driving."

"Oh! I almost forgot! After this is all over, there's a new club in town that I've been wanting to check out. Wanna go with me?" Serena asked.

"Hell yeah! I need a good fight and a good after party, especially after what happened with Bristol," Mara replied with a sneer.

Serena's head snapped up, shocked. "What?! What happened with Bristol??" she took a closer look at Mara's left hand and noticed that the beautiful ring she had last seen there was gone.

Mara sighed as she sat back down and placed her head in her hands. "He left."

"Do WHAT?! What happened?!" Serena gasped as she tossed the files Mara had set down to the floor so she could sit beside her.

"Yeah well you know we've been having issues right?" Mara asked. Serena nodded. "Well about a month ago he just up and left. Told me he'd been lying to me about loving me and all that jazz." She grimaced.

"That sorry piece of….I'll kill him myself!" Serena vehemently replied.

"Nah, that's okay. I almost might feel bad for him if you went after him. _Almost_," Mara emphasized grinning. "I slugged him pretty good anyways. Knocked him clear across his car. But it's over now and I'm moving on. I tell you one thing though…no more quiet types for me. I need someone more like me; not the strong, silent, tortured type I keep falling for."

"Speaking of which, I think we could both take that advice. We need men more like us; men we connect with because of common interests not because of the whole opposites attract thing. We need to find something a little closer to our personalities," Serena said standing up. "But we're definitely having a mini party tonight to celebrate. Always thought he was a jackass." Mara laughed along with Serena at this comment but Serena fixed her in a stare after a moment.

"That's never a good look," Mara said, standing up so she was looking down at an obviously frustrated Serena.

"Why didn't you tell me about this when it happened?" Serena asked in a serious voice. "You just fell off the face of the earth for a while but I guessed you were in the middle of a research project again. I wasn't even sure if you'd respond to my messages, I know how you can get when you get into your work."

Mara gave a half-hearted laugh and moved across the room to look out one of the large windows. "Well I did take a research job right after so you weren't too far off. I spent a good two weeks wallowing though before I really snapped back into myself. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

"It's okay…you know I'm here for you though," Serena replied with a soft smile. She completely understood that Mara didn't like to depend on anyone else because she was the same way.

At that moment, Serena's secretary, Lynne, knocked lightly on the door and not waiting for an answer, stepped inside and shut the door behind her.

"Serena, there are….oh Mara! I didn't even know you were here!" Lynne exclaimed.

Mara laughed. "It's okay Lynne. You think you'd be used to me just randomly popping in. You've worked with Laney for a while now."

"Oh well, I suppose you're right," Lynne agreed. "It just always startles me how you can sneak in here like that!"

"Hey now…I didn't sneak! You were on the phone and just didn't notice me. Besides, I've only been here for an hour or so, so it's okay. You didn't miss me by much this time," Mara replied laughing.

Lynne sighed. "Yeah well one day I'll catch you as you walk in! Oh Serena, the reason I came in was because there are two men out in the lobby that would like to speak with you. They say they're from the FBI."

Serena and Mara shared a startled glance before Mara shook her head disapprovingly and said, "What have you gotten yourself into _now_ Laney?"

An exasperated Serena replied, "Nothing! Jesus…they must be here about the kids who lost parents recently….that's the only reason I can think of why they'd be here. Lynne you can let them in." Lynne nodded and stepped back out of the room. "Mara, you sticking around or skipping out for that nap?"

"What do you think?" Mara answered, plopping back down on the couch. "I wanna get a load of the government goons too. Sleep can wait."

"Alright. Just keep quiet though. You're not supposed to know about the patients' records," Serena said as she hurriedly pulled her long blonde hair up into a bun at the back of her head.

"You won't even know I'm here," Mara promised, grinning. "Want me to cross my heart too?"

"Yeah, cause that always works," Serena laughed, as she picked up the files she had pulled out and placed them on her desk. "I swear Mara, as soon as you show up, stuff just starts to happen."

"Hey now, don't be testy," Mara said shaking a finger at Serena. "Remember, I can still kick your ass in hand to hand…as long as you don't cheat and bring in Kitty."

"Yeah, yeah, I won't bring in Kitty as long as The Twins stay out of it too," Serena agreed laughing. Her laughter was cut short by the sound of a knock at the door and both women turned to see who would come in.

* * *

**About ten minutes earlier…**

"Damn," Dean whistled as he slammed the door of the Impala shut, "they gotta shrink a lotta heads to pay for these digs."

"Yeah," Sam agreed, looking up at the gleaming exterior of the Croft & Tarrow Center for Psychology. "Listen Dean, we're going to have to watch ourselves here. I have a feeling they're going to be paying a little more attention to us than some of the other places we've been."

"Worried they're gonna read your mind Sammy?" Dean teased.

Sam gave his brother a _look_. "Let's just get in there and try to get something useful."

"Fine by me," Dean shrugged. "Sooner we get in and out, the better. These head doctors creep me out. I tell you though, I am _not _sitting on anyone's couch!"

Sam rolled his eyes and straightened his tie. "Just let me do the talking okay?" he asked.

Dean gave a noncommittal shrug and the brothers made their way to the revolving glass doors.

After showing their "badges" to the security guard at the front desk, they got on the elevators and headed up to the third floor.

"Ten bucks says she's got gray hair and a bun," Dean said as the elevator arrived on the designated floor.

"Come on Dean," Sam sighed as the doors opened. They stepped out into a large waiting room that was full of comfortable looking oversized chairs and couches. The few people waiting looked up from their magazines and curiously eyed the new arrivals.

"Excuse me," Sam said as they stepped up to the desk opposite the elevators. "I'm Agent Waters, this is my partner Agent Gilmour. We need to speak with Dr. MacKeltar about a few issues if that's possible."

The receptionist eyed them for a moment. "May I see your badges?" she asked.

"Of course!" Sam said, digging for the badge as Dean did the same.

After examining them, she pointed down the hall behind her. "You'll need to go down that hall and then make a left. You'll need to speak with Dr. MacKeltar's secretary Lynne and she'll tell the doctor you're here."

Sam thanked her and the two made their way down the hall and soon came to yet another, smaller waiting area and a desk that a slightly older lady with short brown hair was sitting at, talking on the phone.

"Hang on, let me call you back," the woman quickly whispered into the phone as Sam and Dean approached her. "Gentlemen? How may I help you?" she asked as she replaced the receiver.

"Lynne?" Sam asked as he again brought out his badge. "I'm Agent Waters and this is my partner Agent Gilmour. The lady up front said we needed to see you about speaking with Dr. MacKeltar."

Lynne's eyes grew large as she looked up at the men before her and she blinked more than a few times as she examined the badges they held out to her. "Oh my," she murmured. "I-I believe she has a few moments before her next appointment. Excuse me while I check with her," she said as she stood up, looking a little flustered.

"Thank you ma'am," Sam said, smiling as Lynne disappeared through a pair of tall, heavy-looking doors.

"Such a lady killer Sammy!" Dean said, elbowing his brother.

"Hardly," Sam laughed. "I think it was the badge and not the man that shocked her."

"And he's humble too!" Dean went on with a big grin on his face.

Sam shook his head and laughed. As Dean went off on a comparison to _The Graduate_, Sam glanced around the waiting room. It was definitely more for children than the other one with its brightly colored decorations and a stand full of toys and books in one corner. The clicking of a door knob caused him to shift his attention back to the large doors and he saw Lynne making her way back to them.

"Well gentlemen," she said still looking a little flushed, "Dr. MacKeltar will see you now. Please go on back."

Sam and Dean both smiled their thanks as they passed by and Lynne's face went from pink to red.

"I'm telling ya Sammy, you got a real way with…"Dean started as he reached to knock on the door. He stopped as he realized it was partially cracked and he could hear two female voices coming from inside. He raised an eyebrow as Sam moved up to see what was going on.

A deep, smooth female voice was speaking. "Hey now, don't be testy. Remember, I can still kick your ass in hand to hand…as long as you don't cheat and bring in Kitty."

The brothers eyed each other as another female voice cut in that was slightly higher. "Yeah, yeah, I won't bring in Kitty as long as The Twins stay out of it too!" Dean grinned as the laughter began and he interrupted it with a knock. This might actually turn out to be interesting…

**AN: **Reviews are much loved!! Click the button and make a person smile today!


	3. A Hard Day's Night

The knock on the door shocked Mara and Serena out of their bantering. Mara grinned and dramatically waved a hand, indicating that Serena should open the door. Serena mouthed _behave_ before grasping the handle and opening the door. When she did so, she was forced to look up at the man immediately in front of her. In an instant, his crooked smile turned to shock and then just as quickly turned into a full grin.

"Dr. MacKeltar I presume?" Dean asked in a deep voice.

Serena's eyes narrowed as she recognized a man who was flirting on the job. "I am Dr. MacKeltar. And you are?" She was then forced to look up even further as a second, even taller man stepped forward.

"I'm Agent Waters and this is my partner Agent Gilmour, we're with the FBI," Sam spoke up as he brought out his badge. "We would just like to ask you a few questions if you don't mind."

"Please come in and have a seat," Serena said, opening the door fully and gesturing towards the couches.

"Thanks," Dean said, with a wink. He almost took a step back when Serena merely glared back at him.

"Oh I'm sorry, are we interrupting something?" Sam asked when he noticed Mara lounging on the couch. Her bright green eyes were scanning the length of him and she apparently liked what she saw because a mischievous glint sparked in them.

"Not at all," Mara said grinning as she took in the two men entering the room.

"This is my cousin, Mara," Serena said as she perched on the edge of her desk.

"Nice to meet you," Sam said with a quick smile.

"Nice jacket," Dean added with a wink as he took in Mara's beat up leather jacket she hadn't bothered discarding.

"Nice suit," Mara quipped. "They must _really_ pay you boys the big bucks."

"It's not the suit that makes the man sweetheart, it's the man who makes the suit," Dean fired back with a smirk.

Mara raised her eyebrows in appreciation. "Apparently," she said grinning widely.

"Ahem," Sam cleared his throat, interrupting. "Dr. MacKeltar, our chief sent us out here because of the recent string of deaths. If our information is correct, some of the children of the deceased men and women are patients of yours?"

Serena was trying unsuccessfully to catch Mara's attention who was too busy ogling both men's backsides and as a result she almost missed Sam's question. "Y-yes, that is correct. I have three patients who lost a parent recently."

"Have they mentioned anything out of the ordinary? Anything that struck you as odd?" Sam asked.

"May I have a look at your badges again? Doctor-patient confidentiality isn't something I take lightly, no offense," Serena said as her demeanor changed and she flashed Sam a coy smile.

"Oh…of course!" he stammered, fumbling slightly as he drug out his badge again.

"Thank you," Serena said sweetly as she quickly examined it and then turned to Dean, expecting to see his. Dean however was too busy flashing grins at Mara to notice that Serena stood there, with her hand out expectantly. It took a not too subtle cough from Sam that sounded a lot like "Dean!" to bring his attention back around.

"Oh yeah, sorry, here ya go," he said as he handed his badge over to Serena, trying yet again to dazzle her with a smile. This time, it seemed to work as she smiled back at him and thanked him in the same manner as she did Sam.

"Well, you're certainly who you say you are!" Serena said laughing. "Sorry about that, I just like to be thorough you know. In _everything_," she added as she smiled flirtatiously at Dean.

"Well, no one appreciates thoroughness like I do," he said leaning towards her. "Isn't that right Waters?"

"Dr. MacKeltar, if you could just tell us about your patients and anything they might have said to you?" Sam asked, desperately trying to get the conversation back on track. He was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable with the way things were going and the lethal looking red head on the couch had started to stare at him now that Dean's attention had transferred to Serena. He distinctly felt like he knew what a piece of meat felt like when a butcher looked at it.

"I'm so sorry gentlemen, but I'm afraid you've just wasted a few minutes of your precious time," Serena said with a wink to Dean. "The three children under my care have not even hinted at anything out of the ordinary. Tragic situation though as you can imagine, but nothing I wouldn't expect."

"A-are you…are you sure?" Sam was stumbling through his words because Mara had just licked her lips as she stared him down.

"Oh yes sir, I'm quite sure. You want me to show you the files?" Serena offered as she shifted on her desk so that her chest was directly in Dean's line of vision.

"Oh yes," Dean agreed happily.

"No, that won't be necessary," Sam interjected. "We're terribly sorry to have taken up your time Dr. MacKeltar. If anything does come up, please let us know."

"Oh of course, I'd be happy to help. I do hope you find what you're looking for," Serena said, standing up to show them to the door. "It was a pleasure meeting you."

"Likewise," Dean said smoothly, as he raised her hand to lightly kiss it.

"Thank you Doctor," Sam said as he nudged Dean towards the door.

"Bye boys," Mara called from the couch, her hunter's glare still fixated on Sam. Sam nervously waved a farewell and Dean leaned around him to give one more wink.

The door closed with a click and Serena immediately tugged her hair loose from its bun. She shook it out with her hands as she crossed the room again and sat down beside her cousin.

"Complete liars," she muttered with a harsh laugh.

"Pathetic ones too," Mara agreed. "I could even tell those badges were fake from over here, I don't know what they were trying to pull. Cute though. Especially that tall fellow…now there's a man I could actually wear heels around."

"I think if you had stared any harder at him, he wouldn't have bothered to open the door when he left, he would have just busted through it," Serena laughed.

"Well, it unnerved him enough to take off and not dig around anymore right? And good job with the short one. I could literally see the smoke coming out of his ears as Gigantor shoved him out the door," Mara said as she joined her cousin in laughing.

"Now there was a man who needs help."

"Agreed. Now the question is, who are they really, and why are they poking around here asking questions about those deaths?"

"I don't know but I'd be willing to bet that they'll think long and hard before they come knocking on my door again," Serena said as she turned to look at her cousin.

Mara's face broke out in a smirk. "All in a day's work my esteemed accomplice. All in a day's work."

* * *

Back outside in the parking lot, Sam and Dean sat in the Impala staring out the windshield in silence.

"Dean, I think we were played," Sam said finally speaking up.

"Tell me about it," Dean said as he shook his head. "My brain's still fuzzy."

"They're definitely hiding something. We'll have to keep an eye on them," Sam added.

"Well, I call dibs on doctor lady. I don't care if that was all an act, she can get me on her couch any day," Dean said with a whistle. "Besides, I think the cousin had a thing for you Sammy."

"She looked like she was going to eat me Dean."

"And that's a bad thing because??"

"And by the way," Sam said ignoring his brother's previous question, "you owe me $10. I didn't see any gray hair."

"Hey! There was a bun though! I was close," Dean insisted.

"$5 then. But you're not getting out of that."

"Fine, I'll buy the first round tonight. Now let's just get out of here so we can figure out our next move and I can go get a few beers," Dean agreed as the Impala roared to life and he began navigating their way out of the parking lot.

Sam laughed, but his smile faded as they pulled out onto the main road and headed back to the motel. Mara's green eyes still seemed to be staring at him and he couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen them somewhere before.

* * *

Mara watched as the boys drove off and turned to give Serena a full-on grin, "Well they hauled ass out of here...nice car though."

"Yeah?" Serena replied without looking up as she made her way back to her desk.

"Yep. Okay so you need me to go chill out with Lynne while you're doing your Doctor Spock stuff?" Mara asked as she started walking to the door, seeing her cousin was already absorbed in getting ready for her next patient.

"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks. It shouldn't take more than thirty minutes or so since this is only an initial consultation. But as soon as I'm done with this I'll close up for the day and we can go have that little mini celebration we talked about earlier."

"Hell yeah! Gotta love how you reward me, Laney!" Mara teased her cousin as she walked out of the door and back to Lynne's desk.

Unfortunately, Lynne was busy with the end of the day paperwork and Mara was left to amuse herself as Serena had her last appointment of the day. As she walked around the lobby, her thoughts turned to the two men they had met just a short while earlier. She agreed completely with Laney, they were not really FBI agents. But who were they? Could they be hunters like herself? She'd never met another hunter outside Bristol and his friend Raven, so she wouldn't really know how to pick one out. But it was definitely an idea to consider, assuming they ever ran into them again. Damn shame that they had to hightail it out of there so quickly, she thought with a laugh. It would've been fun to keep flirting with the shorter one and ruffling the tall one's feathers.

Serena walked out of her office to see Mara pacing back and forth, completely lost in her own world. She shook her head with a grin at her cousin, and called out to her, trying to get her attention back to the real world.  
"Mara....MARA!"

Mara jumped as if she'd been stung by something and immediately reached for the blade she kept at her back but then remembered where she was and put her hand back down. As she walked over to a giggling Serena, she gave her a look that said "not funny" and then threw her arm around her cousin's shoulders.

"So you all done in there doc? And that was soo not cool by the way..." Mara said with an affable air.

"Yeah, I'm all done for the day, let's get out of here. And I know better than to try and physically bring you out of your own little world so what did you expect?" Serena replied with a grin.

"Yeah yeah yeah...fair enough...let's go get changed and go get a drink…or eight. I'm dying here."

"Yes...I can see...you and your drinks. I swear, Mara, you're so predictable...I know when we get there you're gonna scope out the place, find an open pool table and then order a Jack & Coke."

"Well....yeah....but you're my cousin, you're supposed to know me," Mara replied with a cheeky grin.

They started laughing as they said goodbye to Lynne and walked out to the parking lot to head home to Serena's house. They were at Serena's house for an hour or so, with Mara teasing Serena the entire time about sleeping her way into a huge house as well and making references to a backwards version of _The Graduate_. As they finished getting ready, they decided to take Mara's car and Serena would choose the bar. Serena guided them to an out of the way bar about twenty minutes from her home.

"Is this a biker bar, Laney? Do you come here often?" Mara asked with a slight frown.

"Yeah, actually, on both accounts. You'd be surprised how sweet the bikers are, Mara." Serena laughed.

"Oh, I have no doubt that they're sweet....they're all big babies at heart. But I'm not sure I like the thought of you coming here by yourself," Mara held up a hand before Serena could reply, "Even if you can most certainly take care of yourself....if you're outnumbered there's not much you can do, yunno?"

"I know...but just trust me...no one bothers me here. They're all like big brothers and uncles," Serena said as they both got out of the car and walked into the bar. As they walked in, Serena gave a wave to the bartender and someone started playing the song Travis Tritt's song "TROUBLE" on the jukebox in the corner.

Mara laughed until her sides hurt and said, "Hell yeah! I love this place! Woohoo!!"

Serena had known her cousin would love the bar. It looked dirty and rundown even though there wasn't a speck of dust to be found. There were old license plates and posters covering the walls, and all of the tables and bars were solid heavy wood. Serena loved this place herself, even though it would've shocked any of her co-workers that found out. They sauntered up to the bar, looking completely at home amongst the burly men and their women, ordered their drinks and turned to survey the place. Mara shamelessly flirted with the old bartender and Serena knew they'd have a blast tonight, even with the tragic events that brought her cousin here. Serena hoped she would be able to help Mara get past the sadness at least this one night.

"Serena, you were completely right about your cousin...she's a handful," the bartender laughed as he set some more drinks down for them.

"You have no idea Charlie...no idea," they both said at the same time, and then burst into laughter at Charlie's stunned expression.

"You two sure you're not twins that were separated at birth? It's crazy how you two do that...and not to mention you mirror each others' movements...don't think I haven't noticed how one of you is constantly surveying the room," Charlie said with a laugh and a wink.

"Awwww...c'mon Chuck!!! You know you love us!! And you know you wanna give us a shot of something sweet, don't you honey?" Mara replied with a mischievous grin and a wink.

Charlie muttered, "Shameless wench," but got the shots and when the girls tried to pay he brushed them off. "No way, you guys are family now. C'mon...your money's no good here. The fact that you're both smoking hot and flirting shamelessly with me doesn't hurt either," he finished with a wink. They all laughed and did the shots, but when Serena turned around to survey the room again, she noticed two new additions to the bar. She turned back to the bar and slid closer to Mara.

Mara felt her cousin sidle closer and knew someone had walked in that she needed to notice. So she turned to face Serena and scoped the room out casually. Turning back to face the bar, she looked at Serena and said, "Ummm...fuck?"

Serena laughed so hard her sides hurt, and Mara grinned and waited for her cousin's reply, "Yeah, basically. What do you want to do?"

Mara grinned at Charlie when he set a fresh whiskey in front of her, "Thanks, Chuck." Turning to face Serena, she said, "Well....let's have some fun. We'll watch them for a bit and see what's what...then we'll flip their insides again like earlier."

Serena gave a mischievous grin, "I'm game."

Charlie watched the two girls grin at each other. He knew that look all too well. "And just what are you two girls up to now? Who have you picked out to torture?"

Mara leaned over the bar and gave him a big kiss on the cheek, "Oh c'mon, Chuck. You know we're harmless, and we're only gonna shamelessly flirt with some men, that's all."

Charlie snorted at that and said, "Yeah and I'll be able to piss rainbows next time I hit the head. You two are anything but harmless when you've set your minds to something...but as long as you don't spill any blood on my floor, I'm fine." The girls laughed at his reply and each gave him a kiss on the cheek before they walked off to find an open pool table.

As Sam and Dean walked into the crowded bar, AC/DC's "Back in Black" started up and Dean gave a low whistle of appreciation. "I love this place. Wow. Hell yeah! Let's get a beer, Sammy."

Sam just nodded as he surveyed the room, found an open table close by, and sat down with his brother. He couldn't shake the feeling that they hadn't seen the last of the two women they had met earlier and it put him slightly on edge.

A waitress came up and took their orders as Dean looked across the full pool tables and said, "I think we can win some big money tonight, you game? Sammy? SAM!" When Sam turned to look at him he said, "You have got to stop doing that space-out thing, it's starting to give me the creeps, dude."

"Sorry, and no I'm just gonna watch for a bit, I might join in later and save you from losing any money you win," Sam replied with a small grin.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Dean replied with a smirk as he chose his target. The biggest biker in the bar was at the table closest to them and he was pretty good, so Dean walked up and asked if he could take on the winner. The biker was game and Dean started playing, while Sam sat there quietly nursing his beer, lost in thought.

Serena kept a loose eye on the two men as she watched Mara trounce another woman at the pool table. Thankfully they were playing for shots instead of money; otherwise the poor woman would be broke by now. Serena also saw the moment the taller of the two men noticed Mara from across the room. She laughed when he gave himself a visible shake and motioned to his brother. So far, they had only noticed Mara, but she decided it was time they noticed both of them, instead of just the tall redhead taking a shot and laughing.

As she stood up next to Mara, she whispered, "Don't look, but we've been spotted."

Mara did another shot with a grin, not turning away from Serena. She knew where the men were in the bar; she had kept a loose tab on them and they hadn't moved from the pool table they were occupying now. She looked over to the woman she had just beaten. "You wanna go again?"

"Hell no," the woman replied with a laugh, "You're too good and I'm too drunk from all the shots. But maybe one of the guys in here will take a crack at you. Maybe they'll have better luck than me."

Dean had been slowly moving closer and caught the last bit of what the woman had said, "I'll take a crack. You playing for money or beer?"

Mara turned to him then, leaning a hip against the pool table and gave a flirtatious smile, "Well hello again handsome. And to answer your question, I'm not playing for either. Liquor's the currency of the night sweetheart. Beer's a waste of my time. Can you handle that?"

A stunned look crossed Dean's face, but he was able to keep himself from actually taking a step back, and said, "Well how about we up the ante? Money and shots? You game?"

Mara looked to Serena and they both grinned. "I'm game," Mara insisted.

"I'm Dean by the way," he said, holding out his hand to Mara. "My partner goes by Sam. The whole agent thing doesn't work for me after hours." He grinned as Mara firmly shook his outstretched hand.

"All right then Dean," Mara said, sauntering over to the pool table. "Let's get this game started."

It was then that Serena noticed the taller of the two men was still sitting across the bar watching, so she walked over to him and said, "Why don't you come sit down with me while my cousin trounces your partner?"

Sam gave her a startled look, but got up and walked back with Serena to her table where he took a seat next to her. He realized he couldn't very well sit there and be silent the entire night so he decided an attempt at small talk might be the best idea. He and Dean still needed to find out more about these two women and what was going on in this town.

"So, do you really think your cousin is going to wipe the floor with Dean?" Sam asked her as he ordered another beer from a passing waitress.

"Well, watch and see for yourself since he's decided to be stupid and let Mara break," Serena replied with an open smile as she gestured towards the table where Mara was lining up her shot.

Mara pocketed two solids right off the break, and stood up in a casual stance to smirk at Dean. "Still wanna play for Benjamins, hot stuff?"

Dean gave her a grin and replied, "Oh yeah...but it's still your shot sugar."

To that, Mara simply shrugged and said, "Alright, your money and liver darlin'." She struck home on each of her shots until there was only one solid and the eight ball left. Dean stood there with his jaw hanging open until Mara finally missed a shot, and he was able to take his first shot. However, he was only able to sink in half of the balls left on the table before he misjudged and missed. Mara ended the game quickly after that and ordered shots for all four of them, reminding Dean that he had to pay for a few rounds. He shook his head, still trying to figure out what had happened as Mara walked by him and clapped him on the back.

"Don't worry, honey, I'll go easy on you this time. Unless of course you'd like to cut your losses before it gets ugly?" Mara asked him with her hand still on his shoulder.

He grinned, grabbed all four shots from the waitress, and started for the table saying, "Sweetheart, I've never been one to back down from a challenge. I won't be so easy to beat this time."

Mara laughed and leaned against the table as Sam looked up with a stunned expression, "It's only been ten minutes...who won?"

Sam and Serena looked at Mara first, and Mara only grinned back at them. Serena burst into laughter and put a hand on Sam's shoulder, "Honey, I do believe Mara whipped his ass! Definitely called that one."

Sam turned his stunned look onto Dean, who flushed deep red and sheepishly admitted, "She caught me off guard...wasn't expecting her to sink two in on the break and then follow it up like that."

Serena clapped her hands to get their attention and handed them all their shots, "Alright kids! Time to drink up! You guys going another round?"

"Hell yeah! I can't stop on a losing streak," Dean replied with a cocky grin, to which Mara only gave a mischievous smile.

"Well losers rack hot stuff...so rack 'em up and I'll wipe the floor with you again," Mara replied after she downed her shot.

Dean sputtered before taking his shot and heading back to the table to rack a new set. Sam, finding it hilarious that his brother had been beaten by a girl, couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud and had a hard time stopping long enough to finish off the shot before him.

As Serena set down her empty shot glass, she draped an arm around Sam's shoulder and gave him a conspiratorial wink. "It's only gonna get funnier, just watch and see."

Sam turned to Serena with a smile and asked, "I suppose the dorsal fin should have been a tip off, but does your cousin make a living as a pool shark or does she just go around making fools of cocky men for fun?"

Serena gave him a startled look. "Did you just make a funny?" Sam only grinned at her and she started laughing. "You just made a funny! No, she's actually a historian, folklore mainly, but she's here visiting me this week."

Sam merely nodded as he took another gulp of his beer and they both turned to watch Mara wax the floor with Dean again.

After the fifth game, Mara came to the table and plopped down to do her shot. "Okay....I'm done. I'm tired of winning," she said with a dramatic sigh and a wink towards Dean.

Dean gave her a mock glare and did his shot. "Well fine then....but I still want a chance to win back the rest of my money. I only won one out of five."

Sam just stared at him in stunned silence as Serena piped up, "I'll take you on that offer! One game. All the marbles. You down?"

Dean looked at Mara and gestured towards Serena. "Is she serious? She's hammered...she'll lose. That wouldn't be very fair."

Mara simply shrugged as Serena got up and took Mara's pool stick from her. Serena staggered a bit but then held out her arms to balance herself and proclaimed, "It's okay, I'm good! Rack 'em up, handsome!"

Dean looked back at Mara for confirmation but she only grinned and moved into the booth next to Sam, ordering another drink for all of them from a waitress.

"So Sam...tell me about yourself. What office are you stationed out of with the agency?" Mara asked as she took a sip of her drink and turned in the booth to fully face him.

"Well...we're out of the D.C. office, but our assistant director sent us here to check this out," Sam said cautiously, as he faced her in return.

"So there must be some heavy stuff going on down here if they sent you guys _all_ the way from D.C. to poor little old Savannah. They must either think you're pretty capable or you're just the unlucky bastards who have to do what they're told huh?" Mara asked with a coy smile.

Sam stuttered a bit before saying, "Well…umm…I'd like to think we're fairly capable at what we do."

"And just what exactly would that be?" Mara asked, inching slightly closer and honing in on him with her bright green eyes.

Sam laughed nervously and visibly slid back in the booth as he stammered out, "W-well now, that's classified information ma'am."

Mara grinned broadly. "I guess you'd have to kill me if I found out. I would _love_ to see you try that one." She then moved back from Sam, seeming to ignore how increasingly uncomfortable and nervous he was becoming and continued on. "To be honest, I'm surprised to see big wigs like you hanging out in a bar like this. And in your street clothes too. You don't see many…uhh…shall we say 'normal' types in these kind of places."

"Well...I guess you could say we're off the clock for a few hours," Sam replied as he avoided Mara's questioning stare, taking a sip of his beer.

"Ah...well that explains it then, doesn't it?" Mara smiled as she threw her arm around his shoulders and pointed back to the table where Serena was lining up for the break. "Watch the fun sweetheart."

Sam was slightly confused by her behavior, but was glad for the change in subject so he turned to face the pool table as well. He watched in surprised silence as Serena broke and sunk a solid and a stripe in at once. He traded a stunned look with Dean as Mara climbed up on her knees in the booth and threw her arms up in the air yelling, "You show 'em Laney!! YEAH!" Mara then leaned down over the back of Sam's shoulders to whisper in his ear, "Don't tell your partner...but Laney gets better and better at pool the more drunk she is...he has no idea what he's gotten himself into."

Startled, Sam turned his head toward her voice and realized that they were nose to nose staring right into each other's eyes. Mara winked at him, settled back down into her seat, and took a big gulp of her drink as she pointed back to the table, indicating that he should keep watching.

Serena casually walked around the table, muttering to herself in a singsong voice. "Oh which one do I pick? Which one? Well...the solid was blue...and I like blue...so I'll go with solids. Okay with you?"

Dean just stared open mouthed at her, before he recovered and waved his hand towards the table, "Well alright then, if that's how you pick it. Go for it sweetheart."

Serena gave him a brilliant smile as she sunk in three more solids before deliberately missing to give him a fighting chance. As Dean was lining up his shot, however, he was distracted by the way Serena was sauntering around the table and edging closer to him. He shook his head and tried to concentrate on lining up his shot, not realizing that Serena was now behind him. Right as he went to shoot, she gave him a solid spank on the ass. The ball he had been aiming for ricocheted around the table, missing all the pockets. Dean stood up and leaned back against the table, trying to compose himself even though the spank had rattled his nerves and _other_ parts as well.

"Hey now…it's not nice to tease a man. Especially when he's been drinking," Dean chided as he gave a charming smile.

"Who said anything about teasing, dear? You really do have a very nice ass. _Buuut_… you missed. My turn now isn't it?" Serena gave him a coy smile and moved off to line up her shot.

Sam turned to give Mara a wide-eyed look as she started laughing and shouted, "THAT'S MY GIRL!!! GET 'EM!!!" She looked over at Sam and winked before giving him a smack of a kiss on the cheek. "Told you she was good, honey!" Mara crowed triumphantly before settling down.

When Serena had only the eight ball left, she let Dean call the pocket. Dean was too stunned by the fact that he had gotten trounced by two women, and gestured randomly at a pocket. Serena gave him a pout and sunk the ball in easily. As they took their shots, Dean admitted defeat and announced that he was done with pool for the night. They realized then that the bar was almost empty and it was getting late.

"Well....unlike Mara...I'm sure you guys have as much work tomorrow as I do. We should probably call it a night, don't you think?" Serena asked with a glance at Mara, who grinned.

"Yeah...I think I've had enough losing for one night. Time to pack it up, tuck tail, and go home to lick my wounds," Dean replied with a grimace.

Mara stood up and walked over to him, throwing her arms around him in a big hug. "Don't worry...no one's been able to beat us at pool in a few years," Mara assured him with a grin and big kiss on the cheek.

Sam stood up next to Mara, and she had the distinct feeling of knowing exactly what a shorter woman feels like around a tall man. He had a good six or seven inches on her in height and she could only look up at him and stare.

"Well...it was definitely a fun evening. One we all needed I think," Sam said as he held out a hand to Mara.

"After tonight, you wanna shake hands?" Mara laughed as she grabbed his outstretched hand and used it to pull him in for a big hug. She turned and gave Dean one as well as Serena followed suit.

"Well...maybe we'll get to see you boys around after you finish off your case," Serena said as she smiled flirtatiously at both of them.

"Oh yeah...I'm sure you'll be seeing a _lot _more of us after our work is done," Dean replied with, what he thought, was his most charming smile.

They said their goodnights and the boys walked out of the bar as Mara and Serena went back up to the bar to say goodnight to Charlie. On their way home all they could do was laugh at how fun the night had been and how Mara had tripped up Sam a bit with questions about his "job". They also decided that Serena should take a few days off so that they could do some research and reconnaissance together that coming Friday and the over weekend. Serena agreed that since the next day was Thursday, it should be easy for her to take a long weekend and maybe even some vacation time the next week, under the guise of visiting with her cousin. She would pull all the information on the children involved the next day while she was at work, and Mara would research what could possibly be behind all the killings. With a base plan in place, the women went to sleep satisfied after a night well spent.


	4. Allow Me to Introduce Myself

**AN: Hey guys. I know people are actually reading the story, and while that makes my heart quite happy indeed, I would greatly appreciate some feedback on how you think it's going. If you don't want to leave a review then send me a message or something. My friend and I would love to see what you think-like it, love it, hate it, aren't so sure...it really doesn't matter. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!! :o)**

* * *

The next morning, Mara made herself comfortable on one of Serena's couches with her laptop and some books while Serena prepared for work.

"I hate you. You know that right?" Mara muttered with a scowl and a stifled yawn.

"You'll love me when you see what I have for you, you miser," Serena replied with a laugh. Mara was definitely not a morning person. It was a wonder she was even speaking at this point and not simply grunting like a caveman.

"Oh yeah? It had better be damn good considering you woke me up after only three puny hours of sleep," Mara replied as she turned on her laptop and connected to the wireless network Serena had set up.

"Well have a look then," Serena said as she walked into the room carrying two cans of cold soda and a few bars of dark chocolate. Seeing Mara's eyes light up, Serena couldn't help but laugh. She knew the dropkick of soda and chocolate would, not only wake her cousin up, but keep her wired for hours. Thankfully Serena would be at work and wouldn't have to deal with a jumpy Mara, at least not until she got home.

"I LOVE YOU LANEY!! You know me so well!! You're an angel!!!" Mara exclaimed theatrically as she gulped down one soda can right there on the spot and tore into a chocolate bar right after.

Serena put her hand on her hip and pointed a finger at her cousin, "Yeah...you just remember that while I'm at work you get to sit here all comfortable on the couch all day!" Mara had the good sense to look shameful and sheepishly tried to offer her cousin the other chocolate bar, to which Serena only laughed and waved the offer down. She had her cup of coffee in hand and was as ready for the day as she was going to get, in her opinion.

"Yunno....I was thinking," Mara started with a mouthful of chocolate, "that I'll put in a call to Raven and see if she, or anyone she knows, has heard of two guys matching the hot boys from yesterday. And I can get her opinion on what this thing could be."

Serena took a sip of her coffee and nodded. "Yeah, that's probably the best way to go. If you can figure out what this thing is before you call her then maybe she can help figure out a way to get rid of it too."

Mara nodded, chugged some more of her soda and sighed happily. "Well...I feel more human now and less like a zombie. I've already got an idea on what this thing is...but before I jump the gun, I'm going to do a little more research. Not to mention you and I are probably the only ones up at this ungodly hour of the morning."

Serena laughed and said, "You big baby! It's only seven in the morning! And on that note, I should probably get going. Thankfully, it's a short day, so I should be back by around three this afternoon." She looked back down at her cousin, and saw that Mara was already absorbed in her research. She waved a hand at her to catch her attention.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. Three this afternoon. Got it. I'll just wait till then to let you know what Raven says instead of calling you at work," Mara replied. Serena nodded and then headed out the door to work.

Mara researched until she thought her head would explode from reading off a computer screen. She got up and stretched out her back, realizing with a bit of shock, that it was almost one in the afternoon. She shook her head at herself and then went to get more soda as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Raven's personal number. Thankfully, Raven answered on the third ring.

"Hey kiddo...I was wondering when you were gonna call today," Raven stated in her matter of fact tone.

"Do what? How'd you...? Yunno what? Never mind. I don't even wanna know how you knew I'd be calling today," Mara laughed into the phone as she paced the kitchen.

Raven laughed as well and said, "So what did you need to talk about? Sounds like something's churning in your overactive brain."

Mara smiled. "Yeah....two things mainly....I need to know if you've ever seen or heard of two other hunters. I have their descriptions."

"You know hunters are typically solitary people, Mara," Raven said, "But sure...what have ya got?"

Mara sighed, thinking about the two men she and Serena had shamelessly flirted with for hours the night before. "Well...one is about six foot one, cropped light brown hair, rugged type...you know the ones...beat up leather jacket, comfortable shirts and slightly ripped up jeans with boots. The second is gigantor. Just huge. Has to be at least six foot six, shaggy dark brown hair right below his ears, a little preppier looking than the other. Yunno I can almost hear you nodding Raven. You are aren't you?? You're nodding and giving me one of those looks. I know you are...admit it!" Mara ended with a laugh.

Raven laughed outright again at Mara's declaration. "Yes, in fact I am. I know you too though Mara. You flirted with them didn't you? As much as you're hurting right now, I know you still have it in you to appreciate the opposite sex."

At the small mention of her recent past, Mara winced and rubbed her face with one hand. "Yeah...well...I can't just roll over and die now can I? So have you ever heard of two guys who sound like that?"

Raven was silent for a moment before answering. "Yunno...I'm not sure...I have to check with some friends I know first but I'll definitely get back to you later on today or tomorrow at the latest on that one. What was the second thing you wanted to talk to me about, honey?"

"The second...? Huh? OH. Right. Second thing is...well...what do you know about succubi and incubi?" Mara asked with disdain. She had hoped it would be something as simple as a vengeful ghost or even a poltergeist. Sexual predators were so much harder to deal with, and the thought of how they attacked their prey made her skin crawl.

"Now why would you want to know about them? What have you gotten yourself into Mara MacKeltar?!" Raven exclaimed into the phone, making Mara wince.

"It's not me! I didn't do it I swear! Laney called me the other night frantic about stuff that's going on here in Savannah." Raven remained silent as Mara explained all that she had found through her research and the copies of some files that Serena had brought from the office the day before. "You see...I was hoping it'd be something easy to deal with like a ghost or...hell even a poltergeist...I HATE these things. The thought of what they do...ugh...it pisses me off on a new level. I need to know how to fight it and dust it. I want this thing gone," Mara ended, her eyes blazing.

"Well...all I know is that it's probably one creature. They can take the form of either a male or a female...but what they're called depends upon which sexual form they're in. I'll have to get back to you on how to kill it, but I'm fairly sure I have some books here that I can look through. I'll ask the friends I call about your mystery boys as well just to be sure," Raven said with calm authority, knowing that Mara was working herself up. Mara was almost an apprentice in many ways, and Raven had begun to think of her and Serena as well, as younger sisters. Raven had come to love them both dearly and didn't want to see them hurt in any way, shape or form.

"Thanks Raven. I'll owe you one for this if you can pull some answers out of your ass," Mara replied in a frank tone, trying to calm herself down.

"You've had chocolate today haven't you?" Raven asked out of the blue, and Mara could tell that she was grinning as she said it.

Mara sighed into the phone, "Yes...Laney bribed me with it this morning. Seeing as how she woke me up at seven in the freaking morning...I think I earned it. But that reminds me...I should tell you what all happened yesterday while I've got you on the phone...I told you about the office incident with the so called 'agents', but I didn't tell you about the bar last night." Mara the regaled Raven with the story of her and Laney's fun time at the bar the night before, which had Raven laughing so hard her cheeks were aching.

"Well!! That was fun!! I'm so glad you two have each other! You definitely know how to cheer each other up!!" Raven sighed as she tried to calm down from all the laughter. "Now let me go make some calls and I'll definitely call you back this evening or tomorrow and let you know what I find out, ok?"

"Alrighty, that sounds awesome. I can't thank you enough for doing this for me Raven. You're the best you know that?" Mara smiled into the phone again, laying on the charm as best she could, knowing Raven would see right through it.

"Yeah I know. And you know that shameless charm doesn't usually work on me, kiddo," Raven laughed.

"I can always try, now can't I?" Mara laughed as well. "Alright...well I'll talk to you this evening hopefully?"

"You surely will....try and relax and come down off that sugar high ok? And I'll talk to you later," Raven replied.

As she hung up the phone, she looked at the clock again. Seeing that it was nearing two in the afternoon, and she hadn't changed out of her pajamas yet, Mara decided to take a long shower, get dressed and wait for Serena to get home from work so she could relay what Raven had said and they could plan their next move.

* * *

Across town, someone else was longing for a nice, long shower.

"Geez Sam. I know the suits have a purpose and all, but don't you think we coulda skipped out on them just this once? I feel like I've just climbed out of freakin' pool or something," Dean whined, loosening up the tie he had on.

"Come on Dean, we couldn't have just walked in there in what we normally wear. They wouldn't have given us anything. Besides, we lucked out on Dr. Jones giving us copies of the kid's complete file, so it was worth it," Sam pointed out as they climbed out of the Impala outside their motel room.

"Well, at least we got _something_. Hell of a lot more than we got outta that doctor yesterday. But damn," Dean said, grinning as he unlocked the door, "it sure was fun trying." As he entered the cool room, he sighed in relief and tossed his keys on the table beside the door. "I call dibs on the shower," he said, deftly removing both his tie and jacket in one motion.

"Go ahead," Sam called out as he removed his tie as well and plopped down in a chair. "I'm going to go back through all the stuff we got from that doctor today and see if I can make some head way into what we're up against."

Sam's only answer was the sound of running water followed closely by Dean's own rendition of "Sweet Child of Mine". He chuckled at his brother's overly loud singing and leaned back to sift through the folder of papers they had been able to compile since arriving in Savannah. Frowning, he switched on his computer and began browsing a few of the websites he had come to trust when it came to lore on the supernatural.

He was still crouched over the computer, papers strewn all around him when Dean emerged from the bathroom about twenty minutes later.

"Find out anything?" Dean asked while scrubbing at his hair with a towel.

"No, not really," Sam answered with a huff. "I've got it narrowed down some but there are still about five or six things it could be. There's gotta be something else that we're missing."

"Okay so, let's go back over what we do have," Dean said sitting down in a chair across from his brother. "We know that ten people have bit it in the past couple of months. All of 'em had kids."

"Yeah, and seven of those kids were put into therapy soon after one of their parents died," Sam continued. "You heard what Dr. Jones said earlier today when we talked to him. The kid he's seeing is definitely scared of something," Sam said, referring to the visit they had made that morning.

"Poor kid," Dean said, remembering what the doctor had told them. "It certainly sounds like he saw something."

"Matthew Gilden, age seven," Sam read off one of the papers that detailed the sessions Dr. Jones had with Matthew and his father. "His mother Sandra apparently dropped dead three weeks ago. Dr. Jones said that after counseling sessions with Matthew and his father, it became apparent that whatever the problem was started a while before the mom died. Matthew started staying away from his mom a few weeks before she passed. He refused to go anywhere with her and according to the dad, kept insisting she wasn't really his mom. Mr. Gilden said it really upset his wife and they were considering professional help anyway, but then…"

"Mommy dearest bit it," Dean finished, crossing his arms. "Does it say in there what the dad thought? Had he noticed anything wrong with his wife?"

"No," Sam replied, shifting through the files. "It says in the reports that Mr. Gilden repeatedly assured the doctor that nothing was in fact wrong with his wife. He says she was acting completely normal-that it was all something Matthew was making up."

"All right, so the kid was seeing stuff no one else was," Dean thought out loud. "Any siblings that might have seen something too?"

Sam quickly flipped through a few pages before answering, "No. Matthew was an only child. Mr. Gilden said his wife had some fertility issues so Matthew was a surprise on his own. He said that was just one reason they were taking this situation so hard."

"Okay so the doc said Matthew was paranoid; afraid of his mother for no logical reason. Does it say in there exactly what he saw?" Dean leaned forward in his chair, resting his forearms on his thighs.

"Apparently, Matthew told Dr. Jones that on top of his mom acting weird, he saw her come back home several times wearing something different than what she left in."

"That's not so weird."

"It is when she would come back after only a couple of minutes and she hadn't taken any other clothes with her."

"Yeah," Dean shook his head. "That's weird."

"On top of that," Sam continued, "Matthew insisted she wasn't really his mother-just something else wearing his mom's face."

"Now that's just downright creepy," Dean insisted. "Especially coming from a kid."

"You're telling me," Sam agreed. "The dad said he didn't notice any of this and apparently no one else mentioned seeing anything either."

"So we've got a kid saying there was something running around pretending to be his mom and then a few weeks later she drops dead. Definitely something out there for us to get rid of. I wonder if the other kids have similar stories," Dean wondered.

"Well, one of the other kids is seeing a psychologist in another town. You heard what Dr. Jones said when I asked him about the others," Sam said.

"Yeah," Dean sighed. "He told us to go back to that Crate and Barrel asylum with Dr. Kick Your Ass and her Cousin of Doom. We got nothing out of her, well, except for a couple of extremely pleasant memories," he said, a smile glazing over his face.

"Don't forget she kicked your ass at pool. I'm not even going to mention what her cousin did to you," Sam winced.

"Hey! I was just off my game that night," Dean insisted. "Besides, I think…what was her name?...oh…Mara. I think she had it in for you big time Sammy," Dean grinned.

A shiver ran down Sam's spine as he remembered Mara's eyes boring into him at Dr. MacKeltar's office and again that night at the bar. He had seen those eyes somewhere before and it was unsettling him to a new level that he couldn't remember where or when. He shook his head, clearing his mind of everything but the case. "The big point is they are both in on something. You saw how they ruffled us up and tossed us out on our asses yesterday. They're hiding something Dean. They know something about what's going on here."

"I think you're right Sam," Dean said, nodding. "Something was fishy about 'em that's for sure. But damn," he whistled in appreciation, "what a pair."

"Well you can tell them that yourself because I think we need to go back over there and ask a few more questions. See if we can't trip them up and find out what's really going on," Sam decided.

"No complaints here," Dean agreed, as he snatched a few papers from the table and glanced over them. "So the next question is what are we going after and how are we gonna waste it?"

"Well that takes us back to our original problem," Sam admitted, turning to the computer. "Based on what we have, it could be a shape shifter, some kind of demonic possession, an incubus or succubus, or a couple of other things. What we really need to do is go to one of the houses."

"Hey…I think I've got just the thing for that," Dean announced, as his eyes caught something on one of the papers. "According to this file, Matthew wouldn't go anywhere near his house after his mom died. Mr. Gilden finally had to pack everything up and move. They went up to live in New Hampshire with Matthew's grandparents. This is from Matthew's last visit with Dr. Jones….three days ago." He handed the sheet to Sam.

Sam looked down at the sheet and then up at his brother. "So you think the house might still be empty?"

"That's exactly what I think," Dean said. "I vote we pay another visit to the hot doctor tomorrow and then we go by the Gilden's house and see what we can dig up."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Sam agreed. "And Dean…"

"Yeah Sammy."

"Don't lose any more of our money this time."

* * *

**Late the next morning…**

"We're here to speak with Dr. Serena MacKeltar," Sam said smoothly, pulling out his fake FBI badge for what felt like the twentieth time in the past few days.

The front receptionist eyed him for a moment before a look of recognition broke across her face. "Oh! You two were here on Wednesday! I hope nothing's gone wrong with your investigation!" she exclaimed.

"No ma'am," Dean spoke up. "It's going along just fine. That's why we're here. Some things have come to light that we'd like to get Dr. MacKeltar's professional opinion on."

"Well, I'm terribly sorry to tell you this but Dr. MacKeltar is out on personal leave for the next two weeks. She's visiting with some family but if I'm not mistaken, she was still planning on being in town mostly because she told us to give her a call if there were any emergencies with her patients. I know Dr. MacKeltar would be glad to help you out in any way she could. Such a nice young lady," the receptionist assured them with a motherly smile.

"Oh yes ma'am," Sam said slowly, dragging out his words. "She's been very…"

"Enlightening is the word I think my partner is searching for," Dean finished with a devilish grin. "Now is there any way we could get in contact with her. I'm afraid we need to speak with her as soon as possible."

"I was just about to say that I can give you her cell phone number! Now…let me just look it up for you," she said, typing away at the computer in front of her. "I know she'll see this as an exception. Ah yes…here it is." She scratched down some numbers on a business card and handed it to Sam.

He looked down to see a neatly embossed cream card with metallic blue lettering spelling out the center's name and just below it Dr. Serena MacKeltar along with her office and fax numbers. To the side the receptionist had scrawled out another number…and a smiley face.

"Thank you ma'am," he said, holding up the card. "We certainly do appreciate your help."

"Any time gentlemen!" she assured them. "Y'all have a good day!" She happily waved at them as they exited the building and made their way back to the car.

"Ya know, I like her," Dean decided as he unlocked the Impala. "I like this whole southern hospitality thing too. Everyone's just so darn….nice!"

"Well let's just see if it extends over to Dr. MacKeltar. I'm gonna go ahead and call her-see if I can talk her into meeting us somewhere. Maybe offer her another chance at schooling you in pool," Sam teased as he punched the numbers into his cell phone.

"Hey!" Dean eyed his brother as he cranked up the car. Sam put a finger up to his lips to stop him from any further complaints.

"Hello Dr. MacKeltar? This is Agent Sam Waters with the FBI. One of the center's receptionists was kind enough to give me your phone number," Sam said into the phone. He had gotten her voice mail. "My partner and I would like to get your professional opinion on some things that have come up-it's fairly urgent that we speak to you as soon as possible. If you could just give me a call back at this number I would certainly appreciate it." He rattled off his number and then flipped his phone shut. "Well, got the voice mail but hopefully we'll hear something back from her."

"And if we don't?" Dean wondered.

"Then we'll just have to track her down another way. She has to live around here somewhere. That shouldn't be hard to find." Sam stared out of the window as they rolled out of the parking lot. "I say we give her a little while to call back and if she doesn't then we go pay her a visit."

"In the mean time, we can go check out that house," Dean said, glancing over at his brother. "I wanna know what son of a bitch we're up against."

* * *

**Serena's house, around the same time…**

Serena looked across the island in her kitchen to her cousin, "So what do you think our next move should be? I told you I talked to Dr. Shumaker and Dr. Jones yesterday while I was at work. About the kids they're seeing. They said they've been hearing the same things from their patients that I have. This is big, Mara. Really big."

Mara took a sip of her coffee and nodded, "Yeah. It is. It's a lot bigger than I originally thought. But then again I should've known it would be big since all this hubbub had you calling me in the first place."

Serena smiled and got up to refill her cup from the pot on the counter. As she walked back to her seat, she noticed Mara was frowning and obviously concentrating on something. She waited patiently for a minute before she gave up and said, "Look, you need to tell me what's going on in that twisted little brain of yours."

Mara simply smiled and said, "Get dressed. Casual clothes. I have an idea."

* * *

"You sure this is the place Sammy?" Dean asked skeptically, looking over at the house across the street.

Sam glanced down at the sheet he was holding and then across to the house. "Yep," he affirmed. "That's the place. Someone must be looking at it though-there's a car in the driveway and the front door's open."

"Yeah genius, I can see that," Dean huffed. "How are we gonna scope out the place if June and Ward Cleaver are seeing if it's right for the Beav?"

"Well," Sam mused, "I think we should go park down the street, double back and check the outside first. See if whoever's in there will take off."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Dean agreed, cranking the Impala back up.

After they moved down the street a ways and back the car into an open spot in the ample foliage, the boys headed back to the house, armed to the teeth. They combed through the yard and even managed to sneak into the garage without being seen, only to find nothing.

"We've gotta get in that house," Sam sighed as he scanned an EMF reader along a garage wall yet again.

"Tell me about it," Dean grunted. "We're getting nothin' out here. House still not clear?"

Sam craned his neck to look out one of the side windows. "Nope. Car's still there. Let's just go in Dean. We're already here and it's not like we can't come up with a story."

"All right, but if some realtor starts talking about antiques to us, I'm leaving," Dean said, shaking the flashlight he was holding at Sam.

"Fine, fine. Let's just get back to the car, drive up, and pretend to be two normal brothers looking for a house for their aging grandparents or something," Sam suggested as they climbed back out the window they had entered through.

"Normal? Sam…I don't think I even know what that means," Dean laughed, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"I'll explain it to you in the car," Sam said grinning.

The Impala rumbled to the curb in front of the Gilden's old house a few minutes later, lurching to a stop as Dean hit the brake pedal a little too hard.

"Whoa…easy Dean. I don't want to be _thrown_ into the house," Sam said, raising an eyebrow at his brother.

"It finally hit me!" Dean exclaimed, slapping the steering wheel. "I've seen that car before. Pretty sweet ride if ya ask me. I never forget a car…just like I never forget a pretty woman," he smirked.

"Okay, well where did you see it?" Sam pressed.

"Weeeellll….that's the problem. I remember seeing the car before, but I can't remember exactly where it was," Dean admitted sheepishly.

"Then _why_ did you bring it up?" Sam huffed.

"Hey! I just call it like I see it," Dean muttered. "Let's just get in there and get this over with." He climbed out, slamming the door shut.

Sam sighed, and climbed out after Dean who was already halfway up the driveway.

"Looks like someone's home," Dean said gesturing to the still open front door. "Don't forget to wipe your feet."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Just go in."

As they walked through the front door, Sam called out, "Hello? We're here to view the house. Anyone home?"

They walked through the first floor, checking out the den, kitchen, and other rooms, only to find them empty as well. Sam walked back to the front door and looked out at the old muscle car that was still sitting in the exact spot it had been when they pulled up.

"Well, obviously someone's still here…somewhere. I guess we better move upstairs," Sam said with a slight frown as he looked back inside the house at Dean.

Dean shrugged. "Looks like Ozzy and Harriett decided to move back to the 50s. But yeah, let's move."

Sam only glared at him and told him to be quiet, pointing towards the stairs. It was then that Dean noticed the low murmur of voices coming from the second floor. He nodded to Sam as they pulled out their guns and began to slowly move towards the staircase. Staying close to the walls, they worked the hallway and each of the three bedrooms before coming to the master suite at the end.

"Why is it always the last door on the left?" Dean whispered, as they slowly moved around the corner and into the doorway as Sam glared at him to be quiet.

What they saw, however, had them sharing completely stunned looks. The two women they saw crouching down and looking at the carpet by the closet door couldn't be the same ones from the other night. They looked at each other and Sam motioned for Dean to put his gun away as he did the same. He cautiously moved towards the redhead as she stood up, putting his hand on her shoulder to catch her attention and was immediately pulled off balance as she grabbed his hand at shoved at his elbow, almost to the point of breaking his arm. She came at him, swinging her fist towards his face and he was forced to react and let his momentum carry him through, turning his arm so it wouldn't break, as he twisted her arm back and up at an awkward angle. She kicked out with a leg and caught him square in the chest, knocking him back five feet. As he was trying to catch his balance, he realized she was practically on top of him. She feinted a punch to his face and, as he pulled his arms up to block, he found himself falling backwards as she crouched and swept his feet out from under him with one strong kick of her leg.

When Serena looked over at Mara and saw the fight begin, she immediately pulled her gun that had been tucked into her jeans at the small of her back and leveled it, and a righteous glare, at the second man that had stepped into the room. "Hold it right there buddy. You make one move towards her and you'll be dead before your foot hits the floor to take that step."

Dean threw his hands out, showing her he didn't have a weapon out, saying "WHOA!! Now hold on a minute there! You know us...remember? From the other night? The bar...? Any of this ringing a bell in that pretty little head of yours, sweetheart?" He relaxed his position, putting down his hands, as Serena recognized him and slowly pulled her gun down, though she didn't put it away. At the same instant, they both asked each other, "What're you doing here?" Neither was able to answer because then they heard a crash loud enough to shake the room and they turned to see what was happening.

Sam was reacting purely on the defensive, trying to stop Mara's attack long enough for him to explain that they had met before and he didn't mean her any harm, but her offense was relentless. As he tried to get up, he found she was already behind him and pulling the arm he was bracing himself with across his throat in a choke hold. He let her pull his arm across his body and grabbed onto her arm with both of his, flipping her over his head and across the floor. They both got up, lightning quick, and he moved behind her, attempting to put her in a full nelson, just to contain her enough to explain. Unfortunately, she caught him off guard again by lifting her legs up, then yanking down and flipping him right over her head and onto his back, following up by straddling his chest and effectively pinning him by surprise alone. He wasn't down for long, however. Using his lower body, he shoved up and kicked her in the middle of her back with his knees, shoving her forward over his head. She turned on her back, and Sam got up just quickly enough to barely avoid the kick aimed at his head. He grabbed the foot that would've landed, flipping her onto her stomach. Mara used the momentum to turn, spiraling and using her other foot to aim another kick at his head.

Sam, finally getting frustrated with her attack, grappled with and finally caught hold of both of her feet. As he braced himself against her thrashing, she went still. Not fooled, however, Sam kept a tight hold on her feet. But when he leaned over to try and make her look at him, Mara used her abs to crunch up and head-butt him, forcing him off balance yet again. Mara used his falter to pull him all the way down and flip him onto his back straight over her head as they both fell to the floor, shaking the room a second time. And for the second time in ten minutes, he found himself being straddled on his chest by the redheaded woman. Sam pulled his arms up to block his face, once again preparing himself for the punches she was surely about to rain down on his face.

"MARA!! MARA MACKELTAR!!!" Serena yelled at full volume from just a few feet away, stopping Mara in her attack.

Sam pulled his arms cautiously away from his face, to see a very confused pair of green eyes staring down at him, with her fist still half raised to strike. He kept his arms half raised, just in case she decided to follow through.

"Sam? The guy from the bar the other night?" Mara asked, looking extremely confused, but only at who he was, not at the fact that they had just been having a knock-down-drag-out for the past ten minutes. She didn't even seem to notice that she was still straddling his torso, with her legs hooked tightly under his thighs. He could only nod at her, he was so stunned at the turn of events.

Mara moved off of him to sit with her back against the wall, "Ah. Well...Sorry about that. But you really shouldn't sneak up on anyone like that. You never know what kind of training they have. Or if they have a weapon on them that you can't see. You know...like this one?" She said as she pulled out her standard five inch blade she always kept hidden at her lower back. "You're lucky I'm all about fighting fair." Sam gave her a completely stupefied look and she laughed as she replaced her weapon.

"Well...now that the meet and greet and kick your ass is over...you wanna tell us what the hell you're doing here?" Dean asked, completely frustrated and of half a mind to start his own fight with Mara for attacking Sam blindly like that. Although he couldn't really blame her. Hell he'd done the same thing more than a few times in his life.

"I'd say we're looking at a house for Mara to move into, if she decides to move down to Savannah, Agent Gilmour," Serena replied, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking her hip, as she gave him a freezing glare. During the standoff that followed, a distinct buzzing noise started up.

"Does anyone else hear that buzzing noise?" Sam asked when no one mentioned it.

"Huh?" Mara replied.

"Mara, it's your phone," Serena said, figuring out the source of the buzzing. Mara only gave her a blank stare. "Front pocket," Serena continued, pointing in the general direction of Mara's legs.

"OH. Shit." Mara pulled out her phone and opened it without even looking at the caller ID.

Serena moved closer to Mara, putting the two of them directly across from Sam and Dean as they all listened to Mara's side of the conversation.

"Hello? Hey! Yeah. Really? You're sure? Yeah, that's right. Yep. Alright. No, that's fine. You're awesome. I owe you, big time. Okay, talk to you tomorrow or soon or whatever. You too. Bye."

Mara looked up at Sam and Dean, giving them a cool once over as she closed her phone and put it back in her pocket. "Well if it isn't the infamous Winchester brothers."


	5. A Fire is Ignited

**AN: Okay, here's the next chapter! We've already written out a lot more but going back and editing is taking a good bit of time. Some minor fluff ahead-can't go too long without it! As always, PLEASE!, read and review! I promise one or both of us will return the favor if you do! **

_Mara looked up at Sam and Dean, giving them a cool once over as she closed her phone and put it back in her pocket. "Well if it isn't the infamous Winchester brothers," Mara said with a completely blank poker face. _

_

* * *

_

Sam and Dean both reacted like they'd been smacked, stuttering back a step.

"What the hell! How'd you...? What?!" Dean practically yelled.

"How do you know who we are?" Sam asked in a slightly lower voice.

Serena didn't move her gaze from them. "Raven?" she asked Mara.

"Yep. She pulled through. God knows I'm going to owe her the life of my firstborn before this shit is over," Mara replied, levering herself up off the floor. "I guess the question really is, what're we gonna do now?"

Dean looked at the women. "What exactly do you think is going on here? And what in the world makes you think you can even begin to handle what's going on?"

Mara started to go after Dean with a growl, but Serena put her hand on Mara's shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. "We know enough about what's going on to figure out that you weren't agents, immediately, I might add. And enough to start our own investigation into this, with our own sources," Serena answered Dean, never dropping her frozen glare.

Sam put a hand on Dean's shoulder to stop him before he got them all into trouble. "I don't think this is the place to go over things. Why don't we all go back to our motel room and talk about this?"

Mara and Dean both stood back and crossed their arms, obviously disappointed that they couldn't take out their frustrations on each other.

Serena finally dropped her glare and nodded to Sam. "Yes, I think explanations are in order at this point. But my house is just across town, and would be better suited for this than a motel room. You're more than welcome to follow us back, if you'd like."

Sam glanced over at his brother, who was still staring down Mara. He shook his head before answering, "Thanks. I think that would be a good idea."

"Okay. Now to get these two out of here without starting up Round 2…Mara!! You guys can finish this at the house," Serena called out.

Mara gave Dean one final glare before relaxing and breaking out into a smile. "Sounds good to me. I'm still raring for another good fight. You and me hot stuff….think you can handle it?"

Dean couldn't help but grin back. "Sammy's the gentleman, you might get more than you bargained for."

Mara's eyes lit up. "I certainly hope so."

As the tension left the room, the four gathered up their things that had become scattered around the room and left the house. Serena ushered everyone out in front of her and pulled a key out of her pocket to lock up the front door.

"The realtor's an old friend from school," she explained as she saw Dean's raised eyebrow. He merely shrugged before turning to look at the car in the driveway.

"Alright. Now that we have a plan, which one of you claims the '68 GTO?" he asked.

Mara shook her keys at him. "That would be me, big boy. I'm assuming the '67 Impala is yours, then?"

"Gotta love a woman who knows her cars," Dean laughed as he pulled his own keys out of his pocket. Serena and Sam both shook their heads as they climbed into the passenger seats of their respective cars, and headed back across Savannah to Serena's house.

* * *

**Twenty minutes later…**

Sam and Dean slammed their car doors shut and stared up at the large Victorian house in front of them surrounded by ancient-looking trees draped with Spanish moss. They had been surprised when Mara's GTO had turned down a tree lined driveway and then continued for a good half mile but the end destination truly took their breath away.

"This is your house? Wow!" Sam exclaimed.

"Yeah, this is the place," Serena said with a smile, clearly pleased that it had made such an impression. She then turned and hopped up the stairs to unlock the front door.

Mara sidled over to the boys who were still standing by the Impala, staring. "Laney does all right for herself, that's for sure."

Dean whistled in admiration. "You're telling me. You can't tell me she's not screwing somebody though…you just don't get places like this at her age…"

Mara couldn't help but laugh at that. "Yeah, I've been trying to get that information out of her for years," she said after she looked back to make sure Serena was not in ear shot. "In all seriousness though, this house has been in her family for years. It was built for her great-grandparents but it came to her after her parents took off for Florida a few years ago. Not gonna lie, I'm still a little sore something like this wasn't on my side of the family so I could get a crack at it, but I can't complain. I've got my own little abode elsewhere."

"You guys coming in?" Serena called from the porch.

"After you boys," Mara said, gesturing them forward.

Sam and Dean took one last look at the outside of the house before making their way to the wraparound porch that boasted a few potted plants, a pair of rocking chairs, and a large welcoming swing. Sam ducked inside first, giving Serena a smile.

"Nice place," Dean said as he came alongside her at the door.

"I like it," Serena said smiling, "but just so you know. I never have to sleep around to get what I want." She kept smiling at him as she said this but he got the impression she was not exactly smiling on the inside.

Mara came up behind him at that moment and shoved him forward. "Mouth shut honey, just walk."

Dean looked back at her and opened his mouth to say something but Mara just shook her head and shoved him harder until he gave in and allowed her to push him through the front door.

Sam was already wandering around the entrance hall, clearly impressed with Serena's choices for decorating. While the house itself was clearly old, the interior had obviously been recently renovated with gleaming hardwood floors, tract lighting, and comfortable modern furniture. While he and Serena got into a lively discussion about several art pieces she had chosen, Mara grabbed Dean's arm and pulled him with her into another room.

"I'm not much for the whole art thing and I get the feeling you aren't either. Besides, I'm STARVING!" she exclaimed as she dragged him into the spotless kitchen that was filled with stainless steel appliances and shiny black marble countertops.

"This is what I'm talking about!" Dean exclaimed happily. He made a beeline for the fridge while Mara rifled through the cabinets.

Within minutes, the island in the middle of the kitchen was overflowing with junk food, soda, and beer cans as Mara and Dean happily stuffed their faces and chatted about their cars. Mara had her head tilted back, dropping chips by the handful in and Dean was trying to talk around the sandwich he had shoved into his mouth when Sam and Serena joined them.

"Want some? It's delicious!" Dean said as he noticed them, holding out the mangled remains of his sandwich to his brother.

"No thanks," Sam grimaced. "What is on that thing??"

"I'd venture a guess of a little bit of everything he could get his hands on," Serena answered, surveying the contents of the island.

"And you would be right," Mara said with flourish as she tossed the empty chip bag into the trash can across from her. "Have a seat Gigantor and pull up a beer."

Sam could only look at her in astonishment, mouth hanging open as Dean almost fell off the bar stool he was sitting on laughing. "Gi…Gigantor??" he howled laughing. "Hey-that's a good one Sammy!! Gigantor…I love it."

Mara was still looking at Sam expectantly. She pulled a stool out and patted it. "So…park it. You wanted to talk, so let's talk."

Sam looked beside him to Serena who was desperately trying to not burst out laughing. "I'm just…yeah…okay…" he stammered in frustration as he plopped down in the stool Mara had scooted out for him.

"All right, all right, let's get down to business," Mara insisted, banging her hand on the counter for emphasis. "So Sam and Dean Winchester, I've heard a lot about you."

Dean finished off his mishmash of a sandwich and quickly grew serious. "Yeah. Well what I want to know is how you knew who we were. You can't seriously tell me you two are hunters?"

Mara grinned at him and began twirling the steak knife that had been sitting beside her around in her fingers. "And what makes you say that?"

"You don't really seem the type, that's all," Sam interjected, finally recovering from his earlier pout.

"Well, you're right, but only partly so," Mara replied. "Serena is not a hunter. I am."

"I thought you were a folklore historian?" Sam asked.

"I am. On the side. I get to do all that research and paper writing while I'm moving around from case to case. And is it really such a leap from folklore historian to hunter?" Mara asked with a touch of sarcasm.

"Doesn't tell us how you knew who we were," Dean reminded her.

"Yeah well, you two are kind of the poster children for our group," Mara pointed out. "I've heard a few stories from…a…a friend I used to know. Can't say he was your biggest fan, but lucky for you I've heard nicer things from others whose judgment I trust better these days. All I really needed to do was ask the right people the right questions. Simple as that."

Serena had been quietly watching their exchange but chose this moment to step in. "Guys, the point is, we know a little bit about what we're in for and now we know that we've all got the same end goal in mind. We have to figure out a way to stop whatever this is so it can't hurt anyone else."

Four pairs of eyes studied one another cautiously for several tense moments until Sam broke the silence.

"She's got a point. This is a little out of the ordinary for us but…"

"You're damn straight it is," Dean interrupted. "If you ask me you two just need to stay the hell outta this. Trust me; you're in over your heads."

Sam noticed the dangerous flash in Mara's eyes and spoke back up before she yanked out Dean's tongue with her bare hands. "What Dean's trying to say is that we normally work on our own. But from what you've said and what I've seen, you know what you're talking about." He paused to give Dean a look that strongly suggested he keep his mouth shut. "For the sake of time, let's pool our resources and finish this thing."

"I've got all the files here," Serena said, throwing a grateful smile to Sam. "Since my kitchen is fairly destroyed," she pointedly looked at Mara and Dean, "we can head into the living room and go over everything if that's fine with you."

"Nothing personal, but why in the hell should we trust you? Far as we know you're in on this thing too," Dean quipped, leaning dangerously towards Serena. "Always gotta watch the pretty, quiet…" he stopped as a cool, sharp blade slid against his throat.

"Honey, if we were in with this thing, you would have been dead long before now," Mara said as she pressed the blade's edge in to emphasize her words. "Nothing personal…but if you don't start watching your tongue when it comes to her, I'll cut it out."

Dean held his hands up in a gesture of submission and Mara flipped the gleaming blade around before tucking it back into the side of her boot. "Laney, I take it you and Gigantor are gonna do the nerd thing. I think Dean here owes me a sparring match so if it's okay we're gonna head to your workout room and get to know each other a little better. Aren't we hot stuff?" She nudged Dean with her elbow.

"What are you crazy?" Dean exclaimed. "You just pulled a knife on me!"

"Just all part of the getting to know you experience," Mara said flippantly. "Besides, wouldn't have been an issue if you didn't keep switching moods on us. Pick one and stick with it. I recommend one that lets you get that stick out of your ass."

Dean stared at her for a moment, flailing around for a comeback. "Yeah well you….you…"

"I know, I know. So can we go beat the hell out of each other for a while? I promise I'll even let you get in a good hit or two, just to make it fair," Mara said with a wink.

"Oh I won't need any help from you," Dean promised as he stood up, cracking his knuckles. "Go on and lead the way. It's your funeral."

Mara laughed. "We'll see about that one. See you guys in a little bit," she called to Sam and Serena as she left with Dean close on her heels.

Serena merely shook her head as she stood up. She looked over the mess in front of her and held up hands up in defeat. "I'm not touching that. Mara can get it later. So Sam, looks like it's just me and you doing the dirty work."

"Yeah well I'm used to that," Sam chuckled. "Listen, I want to apologize for Dean earlier. We really do appreciate the help. Plus it's always nice to meet people who know what you're doing and still don't think you're crazy."

Serena smiled. "Never said you weren't crazy. Let me grab my laptop and we'll get to work."

* * *

**A little over an hour later…**

"Wow…I'm hurting in places I didn't know I had," Dean groaned. He was lying flat on his back on the padded floor of Serena's workout room, trying to catch his breath. "I wouldn't want to meet you in a dark alley when you're pissed off, that's for sure."

Mara grinned as she tilted her head to the side. There was a loud crack and she eased up. "Yeah, you're not so bad yourself. Best workout I've had in a while. So since I didn't turn demonic on you and rip off your head, does this mean we can work together?" She moved to stand over him and held out her hand. "Truce?"

Dean eyed her outstretched hand for a moment before grabbing it and letting her help pull him up off the floor. "Truce," he agreed.

She grinned at him and moved to grab her discarded jacket and weapons. "You know, this may turn out to be fun after all," she said.

"Yeah, it just might be," Dean said without thinking. He shrugged it off and followed her out the door, back towards the kitchen.

They spent a few moments dumping the remnants of their earlier assault on the kitchen into a garbage bag before heading into the living room. They found Sam and Serena sitting on a sleek suede couch, surrounded by folders and papers, staring at Serena's computer intently.

"Guess they're still at it," Dean surmised.

"Yeah well, you have fun with that. I can't think when I'm this dirty," Mara said, looking down at her rumpled and sweat-stained clothing. "I've gotta get a shower before I can tackle something that doesn't have a Y chromosome." Before he could say anything, she turned on her heel and disappeared into another part of the house.

Dean stared after her for a moment before laughing to himself and heading into the living room to join Sam and Serena.

About half an hour passed as Serena, Sam, and Dean glanced over all the information the two groups had been able to collect. They were wading their way through a site Mara had shown Serena, trying to pin down what exactly it was they were up against.

"Mara's pretty sure it's one of these," Serena insisted, gesturing at the page on incubi and succubi. "It would go along with everything we've found so far. Her friend Raven is digging around trying to find the best ways to kill them just in case."

"Yeah, I think we're on the right path here," Sam agreed. "Especially after going through the files you had. You think we could actually talk with one of the kids you're seeing or even one of the parents?"

"Yeah," Dean snorted. "That won't freak them out any more than they already are. Hey Bobby did you know that your mommy was killed by a monster? Yeah, the kind that's under your bed every night."

Serena gave Dean a frosty glare. "I think that if we handle things the right way we could. I already threw every question I could at them but I'm sure I could set it up so you could talk with them as well. Under one condition though, I have to be there. No offense, but these are my kids and I want to make sure that they _don't_ go home thinking that something's under their beds." Her eyes narrowed and grew slightly darker as she glanced from brother to brother.

"Looks like I'm out of the running for that," Dean mumbled as he leaned back in the oversized chair he was sitting in.

"Hey, where's your bathroom at?" Sam interrupted.

"Easiest one to find is pretty much at the top of the stairs. Just go around the corner to your right and you'll see it," Serena answered as she turned her attention back to the computer.

"Thanks," Sam said, standing up. He caught Dean's attention and mouthed "Be nice!" before heading up towards the stairs.

Dean crossed his arms as he studied the blonde woman sitting across the room from him. Ever since they had first run into her, she had given him the impression that she did not like him. At all. Well, except for that night at the bar…but she was pretty damn wasted, he reminded himself. He sat there for a few moments, at war with himself as to whether or not he should say anything. His reckless side won out as usual and with a sigh, he pushed himself out of the chair and moved to sit down beside Serena.

She glanced up at him curiously and cocked her head to the side, as if to encourage him to say what was on his mind. Although her body language was neutral enough, those bright blue eyes seemed to paralyze him and he had to swallow hard before speaking.

"Hey….umm…listen, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what I said earlier. Your cousin and I kinda worked through things and well I just wanted you to know that I'm not really a jerk, honest," he said, his voice sounding slightly nervous.

Serena contemplated his words for a moment before answering. "I know your type Dean. You're cocky, overconfident, and you try to nail anything with breasts. Am I right?"

"Well, I like to think I'm a little more selective than that," he said, laughing nervously.

To his utter amazement, she smiled at him. It wasn't a big one, but it was enough to make him think it was genuine. "You're a lot like Mara then. If you've got half the heart she does, I'm confident that you aren't in fact a jerk. While we're at it, I'm really not a frigid bitch either. Just on Tuesdays and Thursdays," she said with a wink. "Just keep the womanizing to a minimum til we finish this up and we'll be fine."

"No problem sweetheart," Dean promised, sliding a little closer to her. "I think I'll have enough to deal with if we're working with you and the spitfire."

Serena laughed and turned her attention back to the computer. When Dean craned his head to see what she was looking at, he was dumbfounded. Instead of looking at research, she was watching…a cartoon??

"Homestar Runner?" he asked. "What is _that_??"

"You really haven't seen this before?" Serena asked in amazement. "Well well Mr. Winchester, let me introduce you to Trogdor…."

* * *

While Dean was waving the white flag in the living room, Sam had climbed the winding stair case to the second floor. He was mentally going through some good points Serena had made as he turned the corner and collided with a freshly showered red head. He reached out to keep her from tumbling backwards and as he did so, their eyes met.

In the fraction of a second it took for him to meet her furious gaze, he suddenly remembered just where he had seen those green eyes before…

* * *

Mara had just stepped out of the bathroom, feeling better now that she had clean clothes and a clear mind once again. As she walked toward the stairs, she looked down to finish buttoning the plaid shirt she had put on when she walked straight into what she thought was the wall. Then the wall reached out to keep her from falling.

Her eyes automatically flashed angrily and she opened her mouth to verbally accost Sam for not watching where he was going, but her retort died on her tongue as she scanned his face. The way he was looking at her made her spine turn into a column of ice at the same time the rest of her body burst into flame. For the first time, in a very long time indeed, she was struck speechless and the heart she thought had been shredded into pieces and tossed to the four corners of the earth began pounding in her ears.

They stayed frozen like that, his arms holding her above the ground at an awkward angle, for only a few seconds but it felt like an eternity to Mara.

"I'm so sorry Mara," Sam apologized, finally finding his voice as he pulled her back up to standing. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah….I'm fine," she stammered, trying to find her confidence again. "See you downstairs," she said, edging around him and trying desperately not to meet his eyes again.

Instead of heading for the stairs, she ducked into a room across the hall once she heard the bathroom door close behind her. She didn't know what in hell had happened, but it shouldn't have rattled her like that. Her face was almost as red as her hair and there was no way she was coming out until she calmed down.

It took her a few minutes before she was sure that her complexion was back to normal and she could form normal sentences. Thankfully, when she reached the living room, Sam was still missing. Instead, she found Serena and Dean with their heads together in front of Serena's computer. Mara eyed them quizzically but then they simultaneously leaned back, roaring with laughter.

"I _told _you it was funny!" Serena gasped between laughs.

"Hang on, go back. I gotta watch that again," Dean insisted.

"What's so funny?" a deep voice from behind Mara asked.

She couldn't help but jump slightly and she looked back to see Sam descending the last few steps. The flames leaped in her stomach as he smiled sheepishly at her and stopped at her side.

"Sammy….you gotta see this!" Dean insisted, waving his brother over to the couch.

For the next few minutes, the four crowded around the computer as they all took turns showing one another their favorite videos and cartoons. Finally, they were all laughing so hard, tears were streaming out of their eyes.

Dean swiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt and as he did so, he noticed the time on his watch.

"Hey Sammy, we'd better get back to the hotel if we're gonna hit this thing running tomorrow," he said.

"Yeah, it is getting late. We'll just meet you back here at 9 tomorrow morning right?" Sam asked Serena and Mara.

"Sounds good," Mara agreed, looking to Serena.

"Well, I have another idea," Serena added. "Why don't you just check out of your hotel and stay with us? We have plenty of room and it'll save you some cash. Besides, isn't the first thing you learn from watching horror movies never split up?" She grinned.

Sam and Dean laughed as they looked at one another and shrugged.

"Hey, you know I'm okay with that," Dean smiled. "I'd always rather have beautiful women down the hall instead of giant cockroaches."

"We really don't want to be intruding," Sam insisted.

"No! Please stay!" Serena urged. "We have plenty of room here! It'll be so much easier than driving halfway across the city."

"Well, if you're sure it won't be a bother," Sam mused, "then we'd really appreciate it."

Mara sat there through the entire conversation, willing herself to not turn red all over again. Sam Winchester was going to be in the same house as her until they got rid of this thing. After what passed between them earlier, she had a dilemma. She could either keep her distance and act like nothing happened or she could tackle the boy.

She watched as Sam and Dean stood up, getting ready to go gather their stuff from the hotel. Her eyes ran the length of Sam and her self confidence came flooding back to her as a grin tugged at her lips. Second choice, definitely.

* * *

As Sam and Dean drove back to the hotel, Sam was lost in thought as he went over the events of the day in his mind over and over. He mentally castigated himself for not realizing it was Mara from the vision when he first saw her. Hell, he'd seen her a couple times since he and Dean had gotten to Savannah and he never even realized it. He'd shoved the dream-vision to a lockbox in his brain because it had been so overwhelming. Thankfully, for once, Dean wasn't trying to talk to him, and he was left to make a decision as they packed their gear and checked out of the motel. When they loaded the Impala up and got in, Dean put the key in the ignition but didn't start the car.

"Dude…you look like you've got something on your mind. I wanna know what's up," Dean said with concern barely hidden in his eyes.

Sam sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. _H__ere we go_, he thought to himself. "Well…you remember the first day we were here and I spaced out for a bit?"

"Yeah…" Dean said with a frown. "You were pulling a lot of space cadet stuff that day and I remember you hadn't been sleeping well either. So what's up? What did you not tell me?"

"Well…I did have a vision." As Dean opened his mouth to let loose on his brother, Sam hurried on. "But it didn't have anything to do with the case, so I didn't say anything. It was…well…it was more or less just a really…umm…really intense dream." Sam turned a furious shade of red as he finished.

"O-kaaay….so if it was just a naughty dream then why are you trying to stab my brain with it now?" Dean asked as he started the car.

"Well…that's the thing…at the time I didn't think it was about the case. But I realized earlier tonight that it's indirectly linked," Sam said with a grimace. This was getting embarrassing. How was he supposed to live this down? Dean would pick on him for months if Sam gave him the full disclosure of the dream he'd had.

Dean stopped with his hand on the gear shift and looked over at his brother, "What? Indirectly linked? How the hell is something _indirectly_ linked? It's either linked or it's not dude." Dean heaved a sigh as he put the car into gear and started to pull out of the parking spot. "Dude…just tell me. Hit me with it full frontal. My brain is too tired to try and get the hints you're dropping at me."

Sam turned even more red as he thought, _F__ull frontal doesn't even begin to cover it. _"It was about Mara."

Dean slammed on the brakes and turned to stare at Sam. "Mara? As in Cousin of Doom-kick my ass six ways to Sunday- Mara?!"

Sam gave him a sheepish look. "Yeah."

"Well what was the dream, and how do you know it was her?" Dean asked as he recovered and finished pulling out of the parking space.

"The dream was something I'm not going to share with you…other than it was intense and scared the hell out of me. And yeah…I'm positive it was her," Sam said with a far off look in his eyes.

Dean kept his astonished gaze on the road as the impact hit him…his brother had had an erotic, might as well be porn, dream about the redhead that had kicked both their asses. Then he couldn't help himself, he busted out laughing.

"What is so funny?" Sam asked indignantly.

It took a few minutes for Dean to calm down enough to actually speak. "Dude…it's about damn time!!!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Dean??"

"What I mean is…it's about damn time you became interested in a _HUMAN_, Sam." Dean cocked his head as he thought that one out. "Well…as far as we know she's human," he finished with a laugh.

Sam took offense to that. "You know…that's not exactly fair…who was it that shacked up with an angel, Dean?"

Dean laughed. "Yeah well…one paranormal buddy was enough for me…but you've got Madison, and Ruby, and God knows who else. I think Mara's good for you…you should definitely tag her."

"Dean…I'm not going to _tag_ her. I'm going to try and stay as far away from her as possible."

"Well…good luck with that. Seeing as how we'll be staying in their house and working with them for however long this job takes."

"That's my point, Dean. It's a job we're working on. Unlike you…I don't confuse reality with porn."

"Fine then, Oscar the Grouch. Hook up with her after the job's over," Dean said with a shrug. "But just remember….the job isn't worth it if you can't learn to live a little."

Sam got quiet as he thought that one over. He honestly didn't think he was capable of one night stands the way his brother was. He couldn't do that to any woman, let alone one who knew who and what he was. No, he would focus on the job and try his best to forget the dream and not let it affect the temporary partnership they had with the MacKeltar women. Not to mention, the dream had elicited emotions in him that he thought had died with his former love, Jessica. He wasn't comfortable with all these intense feelings he had had in the dream, for a woman that he barely even knew. Especially since said woman was nowhere near his type. She was loud, feisty, and more into Dean's lifestyle than his own. He preferred a quiet partner that he could share things with, not one who was just as likely to kiss him as to hit him. As they pulled back into Serena's driveway, he promised himself that he would stay as emotionally distant from Mara as he could; ignoring the hollow ache that suddenly hit his chest at the thought.

Serena and Mara were rummaging around in the closets, getting towels and extra pillows for the rooms that the Winchesters would have when they came back. Mara faltered in her steps as she heard the Impala come roaring into the driveway and she passed a wide-eyed stare at her cousin, which Serena pretended not to notice. Serena didn't know what was going on with Mara, but her cousin had been skittish as a newborn colt ever since she had come back from her shower. Serena was about to ask what was going on when the boys knocked on the door and walked in, calling out.

"Be down in just a sec, guys!" Serena yelled down the stairway. She turned to Mara and asked, "Mara…what is going on? Are you alright?"

Mara looked up with a shocked stare, "Huh?"

"Are. You. Alright. Mara, you're acting so strange and it's worrying me," Serena said as she laid a hand on Mara's forearm.

Mara looked at the hand on her arm, realizing that she had to pull herself together damn quick. "Yeah I'm fine, Laney. Sorry. I had a run-in with Sam earlier up here and he gave me the most intense look earlier. I can't get it out of my head. But I'm good, no worries."

Serena didn't look like she believed a word of it but she let Mara go and they went downstairs to where the boys were standing in the hallway, looking unsure.

Sam looked around the hallway again, not sure of what to do. This was something they had never encountered and he didn't like being uncertain of where he stood in matters. As he looked over at Dean, he realized his brother looked uncertain too. Dean opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, but at that point they heard footsteps on the stairs and looked to see Serena walking gracefully down the curved stairway, with Mara following behind her. As he watched, Mara's face turned slightly red, but she stared defiantly back, until she misplaced her foot and went sprawling past her cousin down the stairs. Serena jumped onto the banister to save herself from being taken down the stairs as well, and Mara landed flat on her butt at the bottom. Sam started for her to help her up but she held out her hand, silently telling him to back off. She gave the floor a vicious stare and rubbed her shoulder as she stood up. She looked up at the boys with the same stare that dared them to pick on her for falling, to which Sam wisely kept silent. His brother, however, was not so smart.

"Do that often, kiddo? Or did you just buy new feet?" Dean asked Mara with a grin.

Mara leveled a glare on Dean that would've fried him on the spot. "As a matter of fact, yes. It happens quite often. And no…these feet are old…I should probably invest in new ones though since I run into walls all the time."

Sam was slightly confused by that statement, but Serena laughed lightly as she hopped the rest of the way down the stairs.

"It does happen a lot… but it's because your feet are too big for my stairs and you don't watch where you're going," Serena laughed.

Mara looked sheepishly at Sam, and he couldn't help but turn slightly red. He realized then that staying away from her was going to be harder than it sounded, especially if they kept locking eyes like that. He tried to look at anything and everything but her, and his gaze finally settled on her cousin, who was giving him a quizzical stare. He gave a slight smile and ignored the question in her gaze.

"Soo…now that we know Mara isn't Wonder Woman…where do we go from here?" Dean asked with a chuckle.

"Hey now…just because I'm not Wonder Woman doesn't mean I'm not an Amazon, Tonto," Mara retorted, shifting into a fighting stance. "Or do you need another reminder?"

Sam laughed as Dean visibly paled. He turned to Serena and asked, "So…umm…where do you want us to bunk?"

Serena was laughing so hard she almost missed Sam's inquiry, but she recovered and said, "Upstairs. But let me give you two the grand tour first."

"Yea…so you won't get lost," Mara finished with a laugh, while Serena gave her a chiding glance.

Sam was hoping that was a joke, but from the looks of the house it wouldn't be hard to get turned around. He adjusted his bag over his shoulder and followed the two women as Serena gestured around them.

"Obviously this is the hallway…and there's the den off to your right. Kitchen's on your left as Dean has already found and destroyed once." Serena held up her hand as Dean started to retort. "With the assistance of Mara," she added. They continued down the hallway as Serena pointed out the living room to the left of the stairs again and the towering library off to the right. The library itself was a spectacle. It stretched up through both stories of the house, ending in a turret. Shelves of books lined each wall and towered up all the way to the windows that wound around the very top. Sam could only stare in awe as he realized just how enormous her collection of texts was.

"Whoa…bookworm thou art Serena," Dean said with a low whistle. Sam tensed, waiting for Mara or Serena to come back at him but, luckily, Serena laughed.

"If you think this is impressive you should see Mara's library. Most of my texts are doctoral works in psychology but I do have a sizeable section of books that I have for personal enjoyment. Mara, however, has a library just like this one…only it's not big enough for her collection so she has books in stacks all around the library as well," Serena finished with a light laugh as Mara gave Dean a look that dared him to pick on her. After a few moments, they piled back into the hallway through the library's double doors.

"Anyways…the door right next to this one is the door to the workout room. And up the stairs we go…" Serena instructed as she started up the stairs with the boys following her and Mara bringing up the rear.

She went on to show them three very spacious rooms and two bathrooms that surrounded the open hallway that looked down onto the first floor hallway.

"So where's your room sweetheart?" Dean asked with an unrepentant grin.

"Last door on the left. Not that that knowledge is going to do you a damn bit of good, handsome," Serena replied with a easy smile. Mara laughed and clapped Dean on the back.

"Why is it always the last door on the left?" Dean muttered to himself, causing Sam to laugh long and hard, while the women waited to be let in on the joke.

Sam shook his head at Serena's silent inquiry saying, "It's just an inside joke that we've got going currently. It doesn't really have a basis in anything."

Both women shrugged and turned around simultaneously, making Sam and Dean share a raised eyebrow. Serena then turned to Dean and told him he could have the bedroom closest to the first bathroom, while Sam could take the one directly across the hall from it.

Sam noticed his designated room was right next to one of the rooms they weren't shown a glimpse of and he asked, "What's behind the door next to the one I'm staying in?"

"A weapons cache," Mara replied, crossing her arms over her chest, while Serena started laughing so hard she was doubled over from it. Sam passed a curious look to his brother and started to reply but was cut off.

"Is it really? What kind of weapons?" Dean asked, letting his curiosity get the better of him.

Serena could barely talk around her laughter and she gestured at Mara to tell them.

"It's my room," Mara answered, looking completely serious.

Sam just stared, while Dean doubled over laughing along with Serena. He felt his face begin to turn red as he realized just how hard this was going to be for him. He was going to be staying in the next room from her for who knew how long, with only a thin wall separating them. He barely noticed the slight glare that Mara shot at her cousin and he immediately began to wonder why she would give her cousin that kind of look when she spoke up again.

"But unlike my cousin, I don't have deadbolts on my bedroom door…so feel free to come in any time you want Gigantor," Mara said with a wink, as she pushed a few strands of hair that had fallen from her messy up do out of her face.

It was then that he noticed she never wore her hair down. Or at least hadn't worn it down yet around them. As it was, it was braided and coiled up around her head. It only served to make him wonder just how long it was and just how she kept it pinned up like that. He was shaken from his musings when Serena reminded them that it was nearing midnight and they decided it was best to go to bed and get some rest so they could start early in their investigation tomorrow. The four of them bid each other goodnight and headed into their own rooms.

As Sam unpacked his clothes and gear, he realized just how much space he had in this room, and he was immediately thankful that for once he wouldn't have to share a room with his brother. Unfortunately, he couldn't get his mind off of a pair of intense green eyes and long legs that were owned by the fiery redhead that was sleeping in the next room over. He shook himself and got settled, laying down and willing himself to sleep despite the pain in his groin that formed whenever he thought back on the dream-vision.

Mara waited a full half hour before she took the chance to peek out of her room. Satisfied when she saw that both of the doorways she looked at were dark, while Serena's was still lit, she cautiously made her way to her cousin's room. She knocked lightly and walked in, seeing that Serena was sitting in bed surrounded by files.

Serena looked up to see Mara's stern expression, and cut her off as Mara opened her mouth, "I know…I know…I should be asleep. But you're still up, so don't try to lecture me."

Mara didn't have anything she could say to that so she just shrugged and walked over to the bed. She started gathering the files, sighing in relief when Serena took the hint and started gathering up the ones next to her. Mara handed her the files she had picked up and she patted the bed cover, silently urging Mara to sit and speak what was on her mind.

"So…I'm torn between wanting to shoot you and hug you, Laney," Mara said with a small grimace.

"Now why would you want to shoot me, my dear cousin?" Serena replied, all false innocence. Serena knew that Mara was attracted to Sam, and she had a sneaking suspicion that he was attracted to her also, if the way he was looking at her tonight was any indication. She wasn't sure what to do about it, but she was also mature enough to know she couldn't control Mara. She just really didn't want Mara to go through a repeat of Bristol, or anything like it. She wasn't completely sure that Mara could survive another rejection of that magnitude.

Mara stuck her tongue out at Serena, "You know why…good lord, Laney. I don't know how to jump him. But believe me…I do want to jump him."

Serena laughed lightly at that, but then got serious, "You know…if you aren't ready for something physical with a man yet then don't let anyone make you feel pressured about it. I know it's been a while since you 'got any'…for lack of a better phrase…but it's high time you started coming out of your shell. But just because I want you to come out of your shell doesn't mean that I want you to fall for the first hot body you meet."

Mara shook her head and laughed. "So says the family shrink that hasn't gotten laid in what…a year? Longer?"

Serena playfully shoved at Mara, almost pushing her off the bed. "That's none of your business. Besides. I'm not in a shell. Men just can't meet my standards."

"That's because your standards are impossible, Laney. No human can meet all of them. But mark my words…you're going to realize that standards don't mean much when the man in question makes you feel like you can fly through the sun and not get burnt," Mara replied with a wistful look. "Besides…the job's not half as fun if you can't live a little. So enjoy your flirting with Dean. Because I know under the frigid bitch act, you're starting to warm up to the dolt. He seems like a good guy. They both do. I just don't want to get run over again." Mara pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them and she hugged her long legs closer to her body.

Serena shared a quiet moment with her cousin. She knew Mara was right about the job being more fun when you live a little. But she and Mara had taken very different paths…and not by choice. Mara was, by nature, an incredibly passionate person. She fell hard and fast and completely. Serena, on the other hand, could be just as passionate…but she tended to use rationale when dealing with relationships. More reason than emotions, while Mara was the exact opposite. Unfortunately, they both had to learn to use a little more even proportions of reason and emotions, or else they were going to become the crazy old cat ladies that lived down the street. She mentally shook herself out of her musings, and lightly poked one of Mara's feet.

"Get thee to bed, cousin of mine. Dawn comes early," Serena said with a flourish, succeeding in getting a chuckle out of Mara.

"I hate mornings. Hate. Them," Mara replied with a grimace as she got out of bed and said goodnight to Serena.

Heading back to her room, Mara paused at her door. She stared at the door to Sam's room, debating on whether or not she could afford to truly take a chance on another man. _Chemistry like that doesn't come out of nowhere though_, she thought. Shaking her head and deciding to leave that decision for later, she went into her room and settled down for the night.

* * *

The next morning, Sam walked out of the bathroom he was sharing with Dean, right as his brother was walking out of his room towards the bathroom. He waited until Dean came back out before he spoke.

"Morning, Dean," Sam said with a smirk.

"Morning, yourself, c-block," Dean replied, yawning. Sam laughed and clapped him on the back.

"Dude what are we doing here? We shouldn't be here. These women…I don't think they should be in on this job," Dean said as he visibly started to wake up.

Sam nodded and replied, "Yeah…but how are we going to keep them away? They know what they're doing. They've done some very good research. I think they could help us get more information and then we'll figure out the rest when we come to it."

"I don't like that plan but alright, whatever," Dean said as he started to shuffle down the stairs, with Sam following closely behind. As they came down the stairs, Dean stopped. "Dude…do you smell that? Damn that smells good, what is that?"

Sam laughed at Dean, watching him make a beeline for the kitchen and trying to catch up to him. When they rounded the corner they saw Serena at the stove cooking, with food piled up on the counters beside her, and the stereo playing a soft song. But what held Sam transfixed was the fact that Mara was fast asleep, barely sitting on a stool, with her head laying on the island top. She was clutching a Mt. Dew to her chest like it was a life preserver, but it looked as though she'd fall off the stool at any moment. He cautiously walked over and pulled the soda out of her hand, setting it to the side. He gently lifted her up and set her back on the stool more fully, softly brushing the tendrils of hair that had fallen out away from her face.

To his utter amazement, she opened her eyes and gave him a soft smile, touching his nose lightly and softly saying, "Hiya handsome." He was so stunned all he could do was return her smile. He had no idea that Mara could be this affectionate, and he wasn't completely sure she was fully awake. He couldn't help but soften towards her and run a thumb across her cheek, liking the way she leaned into his touch. To his utter dismay, Dean chose that time to speak up rather loudly.

"Is that eggs and bacon?! Serena you're a goddess!!" Dean exclaimed, making everyone jump slightly.

"Yes, I know. I'm the best. Have a seat, handsome," Serena replied, without turning around.

"What's the name of the song playing? It's kinda catchy," Dean asked as he turned it up a little bit more.

"It's Maroon 5, and the song is called 'Secret'," Serena replied nodding her head in time to the soft beat.

Mara started to wake up and Sam saw a veil fall back over her face. He could have sworn he saw a mixture of sadness and yearning in her eyes, but it passed so quickly that he wasn't sure. Still, he chose to let it go for now, as he pulled out a stool close to her. She shifted a bit when she realized they were so close their thighs were flush against one another, but she didn't move away. Sam looked up to see Dean staring at the both of them with a soft smile on his face. Still smiling, he nodded to them, and got up.

"Serena, tell me what I can do to help," Dean said looking around, trying to find something he could do to help with breakfast.

"Do what?" Serena asked with an incredulous look.

"Where are the plates and silverware and stuff? I'll set the table. The cook shouldn't have to do everything," Dean replied without looking as he started looking through the cabinets.

"I pulled out the plates and stuff already…but umm…thanks. Setting the table would be a big help," Serena said with a confused look. She wasn't sure what to do with this side of Dean, and as she watched him count the plates and set the table for everyone, she mentally shook herself and went back to cooking, trying not to pay too much attention to it.

As they began to eat, Sam noticed that Mara still hadn't really spoken. Serena didn't seem to notice and as he looked at Dean, he realized his brother had noticed it as well. They watched Mara quietly as she slowly ate and looked around although it was obvious she wasn't really seeing anything.

"Hey, Red. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" Dean asked Mara as he gestured at her with his fork.

Mara gave him a dull glare and grunted, but didn't actually answer.

Serena started laughing lightly. "Mara's not a morning person…I would suggest you don't speak to her until she speaks to you first. Otherwise she'll only grunt at you."

Dean made an 'oh' with his mouth and apologized to Mara, which stunned everyone at the table. Mara waved him off and Sam kept staring at his brother, wondering what had happened last night to make him so damn cheerful this morning. Deciding not to push his luck, he let it go. It was then he noticed Mara's hand resting lightly on his thigh. Without looking, he reached down and covered her hand with his, squeezing lightly as they both went back to eating.

"So what's the plan, boys?" Serena asked as she finished off her plate and sat back.

"Well…we need to get more information and track this thing's movements. And find out for sure what exactly it is," Sam replied as he sat back from his plate as well. Everyone nodded in reply, agreeing.

"I think we've maxed out on the research end of this venture," Dean suggested, trying to speak around a mouthful of food. "We've gotta get out there and see if we can chase the bastard out."

"I think I can arrange a meeting with the last child to lose a parent if you think that would help," Serena suggested. "She's one of my patients and maybe we could find some clue to where it went next."

"How long do you think that would take?" Sam asked.

"Probably a day or two," Serena replied after thinking for a moment. "Technically I'm out because of 'family business' but I'm sure I can set up a one on one fairly soon. In the meantime, I think we should try to cover as much of the area as possible and see if there are any other signs we can pick up on."

"Hunh….good call," Dean admitted, nodding his head at her. "Someone had better tell Sleeping Beauty over there when she finally wakes up though," he said, indicating Mara who had fallen face forward back onto the island, barely missing her plate.


	6. There Goes the Neighborhood

**Two days later…**

"Find out anything else?" Mara asked anxiously as Serena and Sam walked back through the front door. They were just returning from the one on one with Serena's latest patient and her mother.

"Nothing," Sam said, with a hint of frustration. "Just like everything else has turned up that we've done. This thing has apparently gone into hiding."

There was a soft click as Serena closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment. She was quiet for a moment as she watched Mara and Sam in the hallway. Ever since the first night the boys had come to the house, a spark had been lit between the two. While she was glad that something was apparently getting Mara's mind off her recent troubles, she was still wary of how fast things seemed to be progressing. Nothing had been said, and as far as she knew nothing had happened, but the very air seemed to ignite around them whenever they were in close proximity. Even now, they were merely smiling at one another, chatting about trivial things, but there was something under the surface that brought out Serena's protective sense.

It was at that moment that Mara finally noticed that Serena's cool gaze was boring into Sam's back. She quickly switched gears and stretched dramatically, yawning. "Well since _nothing_ is happening, I'd at least like to get in some target practice today," she declared, trying to redirect the conversation. "You up for it Laney?"

"Hey, I gotta ask a question," Dean interrupted as he appeared, leaning against the entryway into the kitchen. "Why are you always calling her Laney?"

"My name is Serena Elaine MacKeltar, which can be quite a mouthful when you're two," Serena explained.

"Yeah, according to our mothers, we decided that we liked the name Laney better back then and it just kinda stuck," Mara added. "Now that we know that important bit of childhood trivia, can we please _do_ something?" she pleaded. "I'm going stir crazy."

"Fine by me," Serena agreed. "Just go grab the stuff and we'll head out."

"Whoa, what are you two talking about?" Sam asked, looking from Serena to Mara.

"Target practice darlin'," Mara answered with a devilish smile. "Think you're up to joining in?"

"Just what are you practicing with?" Dean piped in, unable to contain his curiosity.

Serena gave him a knowing smile. "Well, as it so happens, we didn't give you the full tour the other day. There's a bit we left out. Come with me," she said, heading down the hallway towards the library.

Sam and Dean exchanged confused looks until Mara took them each by an arm and urged them forward. "Trust me boys," she hinted with a grin. "You want to see this room."

They allowed her to lead them into the library where Serena was scanning one row of books with a finger and murmuring to herself. "I always miss it…I really should have gotten a brighter color…ah! Here we go," she exclaimed as she removed a tan leather-bound volume from the shelf.

Before either brother could make a comment, one section of books slid back into the wall, revealing a dimly lit staircase.

"Whoa!" Dean yelped in astonishment. "Who are you? Dick Tracy? Seriously…what is this?!"

"Well come on and you'll find out!" Mara urged, heading into the new opening. Serena followed, leaving Sam and Dean alone to contemplate what they should do.

Shrugging, they followed the cousins down the narrow, metal spiral staircase that wound down below the library above them. Dim backup lights cast a yellow hue to everything around them, including the intimidating looking iron doors facing them. Serena pecked in a short code on the keypad to the right of the doors and they creaked open slowly as bright fluorescent lighting began to click on in the room before them.

One by one, the lights sprang to life, illuminating the circular room that was lined with glass cabinets containing a lethal looking arsenal of weapons.

Serena couldn't contain her smile as she watched the Winchester brothers gape in awe at what they were seeing.

"Is this yours?" Sam asked, completely astonished, as he walked around, examining the contents of the cabinets.

"It's Laney's all right but I'm the one who drew up the plans and forced her to put it in a few years back," Mara said proudly as she took in their reactions.

Dean still stood in the doorway, not able to move. When he finally found his voice all he could muster was, "I think I'm in love."

Sam and Mara burst out laughing while Serena ignored Dean's comment. The room was divided into sections for guns, knives, foodstuffs, and other necessities that one might need if they were stuck in here for any length of time. Serena watched as Sam went over to the section she had set up for Mara's knives.

"So is all of this yours?" Sam turned to ask her, while Dean brushed by him heading straight for the assortment of shotguns he had seen from the doorway.

"Yes and no. All of the guns are mine. But where you're standing right now is Mara's little cache. She's the blade-smith of the family. I'm the gun guru if you will. If you ever see Mara's house, you'll see the exact opposite of this room. It's covered in knives and swords with only a small collection of guns," Serena replied as she pulled her custom made 1911 Colt from the shelves, along with a box of blanks. She took apart the gun, checked it, and put it back together within two minutes. She felt someone come to stand beside her, and she looked up into the respectful gaze of Dean.

Dean gave a soft smile and nodded to Serena. "Gotta love a woman who knows how to handle a weapon."

Mara laughed while Serena tried to glare at Dean. Somehow though, she realized she was getting used to the bawdy swagger that she knew was a defense mechanism. Over the past few days she found herself softening ever so slightly towards the older of the Winchester brothers, and she wasn't sure if she liked that or not. But they were proving to be good houseguests, good partners, and great friends.

"The targets still out back, Laney? Or are we gonna have to go to the range again?" Mara asked as she checked her own custom 1911 handgun, and then turned to check her 9mm Baretta.

"The targets are out back still. We can't go to the range anyways. We can't exactly take the guys in as guests. They're a little too conspicuous," Serena said as she looked over the boys. "Go ahead guys…take your pick. But if you break it you bought it," she finished as she gestured to the shelves with a sweep of her arm. She watched as Dean looked longingly at the shotguns once more before he picked up one of her other 1911's, and Sam picked up a 9mm Baretta. She nodded to them and led them back upstairs to the library and then outside to the backyard. Mara jogged off to the outer fence to make sure that no one had uncovered her hidden targets. Thankfully though, Serena's house wasn't inside the city limits, so they wouldn't get hauled in for unlawful firings. She and Dean both watched Sam as he stared at Mara, bending over dragging the target fence out.

"What the hell is she doing?" Dean asked as he tilted his head to the side, trying to figure it out.

"We set up a target fence of sorts. There are cans in all sizes ranging down a ten foot fence, set up on a wiring system that our fathers helped build for us when we were younger. If you hit the target, it falls backwards but not off the fence, and once all of them are down…they're rigged to pop right back up." Serena said with a smile as she remembered how much trouble their dads had gone through to set this up for her and Mara. It was done to keep them out of trouble around the house, just as much as to teach them how to shoot.

"Hey, Laney! Bring out the wiring kit! The box got damaged in the last storm I think!" Mara yelled from across the huge expanse of the yard.

Serena sighed as both of the brothers turned to give her a confused look. "I keep forgetting to put a cover box over the central system and every time a major storm hits, it gets damaged and Mara has to fix it."

Both of the brothers gave her an "ah" look as she turned and dashed inside for the kit that Mara always kept under the kitchen sink. When she came back out, Sam and Dean had wandered over to where Mara was and were asking her questions about the rigging. She laughed as Mara waved off their offer to help. Handing her the kit, she stood back and leaned against a nearby tree, enjoying the gentle breeze that had picked up. Mara rummaged around until she had pulled out three wires, some cutters, and a few fuse protectors. Within minutes, Mara had the system back up and running.

"Dean…knock over all those cans for me. I wanna make sure this works properly before I trudge all the way back across the yard," Mara said as she replaced her tools and pocketed the burnt out fuses. Dean did as she asked and when the cans immediately popped back up, she gave a whoop of triumph.

"Just call me McGuyver, boys. Yeah!" Mara exclaimed as she got up and started to carry the kit. Sam laughed and ran to catch up with her, taking the box out of her hands to carry it for her.

Serena watched them for a moment then looked at Dean to see him watching her. She raised an eyebrow at him as she pushed off the tree and started walking.

"I take it you're not sure about my brother and your cousin?" Dean asked as he fell into step beside her.

"No, I'm not. But they're both adults and there's nothing I can do to stop it," Serena calmly replied.

"Well…I think it's a good thing. For Sammy anyways…he needs someone normal," Dean said. "Well…relatively normal anyways."

Serena laughed at that and patted his shoulder as they came to the halfway point of the yard. She had measured different intervals of the yard from the fence, and placed sets of chairs and picnic tables up to disguise it. Right now they were at thirty yards away, which wouldn't be much target practice for her or Mara, since they normally stood about seventy yards away from the fence.

"Ok…soo….what now? Who goes first?" Dean asked.

Mara held out her hands for paper, rock, scissors. "Girls vs. Guys. This time around. You ready?" They went and both came up with scissors. Sam laughed so hard it looked like he was going to bust a gut.

"Serena, you and I better decide it if they're going to do that," Sam said between laughs. Dean and Mara only shrugged.

Sam and Serena went for it, Sam coming up with paper and Serena with rock.

"Okay boys…think this is close enough for you or do you need to move forward a bit?" Serena teased lightly.

"Oh whatever, sweetheart," Dean replied as he turned, took aim, and hit five of the ten targets one after the other. Sam turned and knocked the other five down in succession. Both of the women turned with respect in their eyes as they watched the rigging pop the cans back up. They motioned for the boys to follow as they moved back across the yard towards the house.

"Just so you know, Dean, we're now seventy yards away from the targets," Serena said as Mara took aim, knocking down all ten in quicksilver motions.

"Oh c'mon, Laney. This is too close. I only start to miss at a hundred yards out," Mara complained as she refilled her magazine with blanks.

Serena smiled, keeping her eyes on Dean. He looked at her, his gaze questioning.

"Aren't you going to aim, kiddo?" Dean asked.

Mara busted out laughing as Serena gave him a small smile and fired off ten shots without looking. She heard the rigging pop up and knew that she had hit the marks. She had learned to do this when she was younger because she had gotten bored with constantly having to look at the targets and had asked her dad for a new challenge. Serena joined in with Mara's laughter as both of the boys looked like they would fall over in shock.

"Your turn, Sam," Serena said as she reloaded her mag.

Flabbergasted, Sam turned and tried to focus on the targets. He hit four out of five.

"Damn," Sam said as he hung his head.

"Damn is right, Sammy. I know Dad and I taught you to shoot better than that," Dean said with humor in his eyes as he took aim and knocked the rest of the cans down.

The four took turns back and forth at both seventy yards and then at one hundred yards out for another hour before it started to grow darker. Everyone looked up to see the sky was clouding over, looking like a major storm was about to drop a deluge of rain onto them.

"Laney, go get that damn box I built so that I don't have to fix the fence every time I come over," Mara said with a grimace. Serena rushed back in and came out, throwing the box at her cousin right as it started to rain.

"We have to get the fence back under cover, Mara," Serena yelled after her as she started to rush out. Dean pulled her to a stop and pointed, showing her that Sam was already out there helping her pull the fence back. They watched as it started to lightning ominously and rain began to pour down.

The rain was so thick Mara could barely see the fuse box. She only hoped she got it covered in time before the water damaged it. Then she felt someone come up behind her, she whipped out one of the curved daggers she kept at her back then visibly slumped in relief when she realized it was Sam.

"Damnit, Sam! Stop doing that! One day I'm going to take a full swing and you're going to get hurt!" Mara yelled at him.

"Sorry, Mara," Sam said sheepishly while he helped her move the fence back under the cover of the trees.

They started to run back across the yard when Mara felt a fissure of pressure go up her spine. She stopped and turned, searching for the source. She could hardly see through the rain, but she knew without a doubt something was watching her.

Sam turned halfway through the backyard when he realized Mara wasn't beside him. He looked back and saw her standing about thirty yards from the edge of the woods, staring into the woods like she was looking at something. He called out to her, but the thunder and rain were so loud he knew she wouldn't hear him. As he started to go back for her, he saw her knocked thirty yards straight back across the yard, letting out a pain filled scream as she flew through the air. She skidded in the mud for another ten yards and didn't move. Panicked, he ran for her.

Serena had been watching them run across the yard, laughing at them slipping. Her laughter died instantly when she saw Mara stop and slowly turn around, taking a fighting stance. She leaned forward, calling to Dean who was still inside the house. He came to the doorway just in time to see Mara get tossed back and skid across the yard. Serena screamed for her cousin and started to rush out, but was stopped by Dean.

"Stay here!" Dean yelled at her.

"Screw you! That's my cousin, asshole!" Serena yelled back at him, trying to get past him.

Dean gave her a light shake and got right in her face, obscuring her vision. "We don't know what's out there. Please stay here, Serena. Please. Sam's got Mara and I'm going after it. We'll figure it out. Just get ready to take care of Mara when Sam brings her in." Dean shook her again lightly. "Okay?"

Serena leveled a glare on him that would've made Lucifer cringe. "Alright."

Dean dashed out to the woods in the direction he had seen Mara looking, searching for any clues for what it was, before the rain washed them away.

Sam skidded in the mud as he rushed to Mara's side. What the hell had just happened? He hadn't seen anyone in the woods and he hadn't sensed anything. As he ran his hands lightly over Mara's body, he realized she was unconscious, but her pulse was still going strong. He sent up a silent prayer of thanks and another prayer for her to be alright. He checked her body and didn't find any broken bones, but he was extremely careful with her when he picked her up and carried her back towards the house. Serena was pacing back and forth at the doorway and as he got close enough he heard her yelling and asking if she was alright. He yelled back that she was unconscious and saw Serena dash out of the doorway and back with some towels. As he sidled through the doorway, Serena was half frantic telling him to pull her upstairs into the bathroom.

"We have to get her warm, in case her body starts to go into shock," Serena said as she rushed around gathering towels and turning on the water for a bath. "Hold her up, I've got to get her undressed and into the tub," she ordered him. Sam's worry was momentarily replaced with fascination as he watched Serena pull five knives out from under Mara's clothing.

"I know she's got more on her…she feels naked with less than seven on her…" Serena muttered to herself as she did a frantic search of the rest of Mara's body.

"Just how many knives does she carry on her at a time?" Sam asked in fascination.

"Ten or more, depending on the situation," Serena said absently. "Well…I guess she felt safe enough to only carry five, since we were here and with you guys." She finished and started tugging Mara's boots off as carefully as she could. She turned to cut off the water, and then proceeded to get Mara down to her tank top and panties, knowing she wouldn't be embarrassed, although it was obvious by Sam's shifting stance that he was beginning to feel awkward. She looked up to catch him staring at her cousin's face, silently willing her to wake up. She got Sam to place her in the tub and then turned to him.

"Where's Dean?" Sam asked before Serena could speak.

"He rushed out into the woods. What in the hell is going on here, Sam?" Serena asked, placing her hands on her hips in a defiant stance.

"I don't know. But I'm going to go help, Dean. Lock all the doors," Sam said. He looked longingly at Mara before he turned on his heel and rushed out. Serena followed after him.

"Here, take a key to the house so that you can get back in. Please be careful," Serena said as she handed him a key. He nodded and rushed out back into the storm to go find Dean. Serena went through and locked all the doors and windows in the house, then went into her cache and got two more guns, a few knives, and enough ammo to sink a ship. She rushed back upstairs to see Mara shifting in the tub, starting to wake up. She dropped everything in her arms and rushed over to her cousin, pushing her back into a sitting position.

"What in the….?" Mara started, "Why am I in the tub? Why am I wearing clothes in the tub?" she finished, looking about the bathroom. She took in all the weapons her cousin had brought up and she looked up into Laney's worried face. "What happened, Laney?"

"Oh Mar-Mar…I was so worried!" Serena exclaimed as she threw her arms around her taller cousin, despite the fact that she was in a tub.

Mara put her hands on Laney's shoulders and pushed her back to look at her. "The last thing I remember is staring into the woods. What happened?"

Serena pulled herself back together, "You were staring at something in the trees and then you got thrown about halfway across the backyard, skidding in the mud and not moving. You were knocked out. Sam carried you in and we got you into the tub so your body wouldn't go into shock in case something really was wrong with you. What did you see? Are you alright? Do you feel dizzy or disoriented?"

Mara shook her head lightly and started to get up, growling at her cousin as she tried to stop her. "I'm fine, Laney. Just a little shook up and bruised. Nothing broken. Have a headache but it'll pass. Where are the boys?"

Serena nodded to her. "They went looking for whatever it was that attacked you. They haven't come back yet but they've only been gone about fifteen minutes."

Mara nodded and helped gathered up her knives, stopping to grab her bag on the way out. They headed back downstairs to the back door to see Sam and Dean trudging back across the lawn.

"You might want to get some more towels, kiddo. They're really muddy," Mara suggested offhandedly.

Serena rushed to get towels as Mara rummaged through her messenger bag to pull out a vial of holy water. No sense in taking chances since she had no clue what had happened. She opened the door right before the boys got to it and doused them with it, earning her a righteous glare from Dean, and a long-suffering sigh from Sam.

"Sorry, guys. I didn't want to take a chance," Mara said sheepishly as Serena rushed back with towels.

"Strip down and dry off before you come back in. There's enough mess from when Sam carried Mara through," Serena instructed as she tossed them some towels and went back upstairs to start cleaning before the mud stained her floors.

Mara shook her head, watching her cousin rush off. She knew that Serena didn't care _that_ much about her floors, she just didn't want to expose herself to Dean getting undressed. Serena really needed to let loose a bit, but that wasn't anything Mara had control over. She looked up to see the boys stripping down to their boxers and realized that Sam was giving her a rather intense stare.

"What?" Mara asked skeptically.

"Are you alright?" Sam asked, trying not to stare at the body that was all but bare to his gaze. She was only wearing a black tank top and matching skimpy panties. It was hard not to notice. But he tried.

"I'm fine. I'm not sure what happened…but I'm alright." She moved closer, leaned in and whispered, "Thanks for saving me, Sam." And she gave him a light, tender kiss on the cheek. Then she turned and walked off after her cousin.

"Dude…I'll never understand you," Dean said with a chuckle.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Dude…come on! You had a half naked hot chick right in front of you and you didn't make a move!" Dean shook his head. When Sam started to growl at him he held up a hand. "She's hot but she's not my type. Don't worry man. She's all yours. I'm after the hot doctor," he finished with a wink.

Sam shook his head and gathered his clothes as he and Dean went upstairs to their rooms to change. He didn't know what was going on but they hadn't been able to find any trace of what attacked Mara out in the rain. As he changed he realized just how scared he had been for her safety, and how close he was getting to her though he hadn't even realized it. He changed into dry clothes and walked back out to see Mara coming out of her room. She had changed into jeans and an oversized flannel shirt, but for once she wasn't wearing any shoes. She was finishing up pinning her hair when she noticed him and smiled. Then, she walked over and did the strangest thing-she hugged him. He was stunned into immobility for a full minute before he awkwardly returned the embrace. When she pulled back he couldn't help himself; he took her face gently into his hands and searched her eyes. He watched tenderly as she turned her head and placed a soft kiss onto his palm, before taking his hand into hers. He let her lead him back down into the living room and onto the couch, where she snuggled up to him.

_So much for keeping away from her_, he thought to himself as he placed an arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer. He was tired of fighting this connection they seemed to have.

Serena was waiting outside of Dean's door when he walked out. She held up a hand to stop him before he could make a smartass comment.

"I wanted to thank you for earlier, Dean. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. Our family is rather small and Mara's the only thing resembling a sibling that I have," Serena said as she tried to keep from falling apart. This world that Mara lived in was dangerous. Serena hadn't considered just how dangerous until today. She was frightened for herself and her cousin, even though she knew they were as prepared for this world as they were going to get. She wasn't used to feeling out of control and she didn't like it one bit.

"Serena…your cousin is fine. And it's no problem. We're partners remember? We've always got your backs," Dean assured her. As he looked at Serena trying to fight for calm, a foreign part of him urged him to comfort her. He didn't know what to do, he wasn't used to comforting people. That job usually fell to Sam. This was new territory for him and he was lost. So he went with instinct and softly pulled Serena into his arms to hug her and hold her before she completely lost it.

Serena was shocked when Dean pulled her towards him; she thought he was going to try and kiss her. But all he did was hold her. It'd been ages since she'd been comforted by anyone but family, and she liked this too much. She pulled away after a few moments, before she completely lost herself to hysterics.

"Thanks, Dean," Serena said with a dignified sniff.

"Anytime," he said as he softly tapped her chin.

They walked down the stairs and turned into the living room to see Mara and Sam cuddled up on the couch. Since this didn't surprise either of them, they didn't comment. They each took a chair on either side of the couch and sat silently for a minute before Mara spoke up.

"I guess it's safe to say this thing has come out of hiding."

"You think?!" Serena said with a chiding glare.

Mara sat up a little bit. "Don't give me that look, Serena Elaine. I didn't know what was going on. And making jokes is my defense mechanism. You _know_ that."

"Sorry, Mara. Lashing out is my defense mechanism," Serena replied as she sat back with a grimace.

"So how do you know what it was?" Dean asked.

"Just a feeling. I couldn't actually see anything through the rain. But I felt something watching me…or us… but it felt like mainly me. I felt shivers go up and down my spine and started looking for it, but I couldn't find it. Then next thing I know I'm half naked in a bathtub," Mara recounted with an absent look as she tried to remember what happened.

Sam pulled her closer. "I think it's safe to say that it's either something new or whatever we've been looking for coming out of hiding. Either way our restful days are over."

"You got that right," Dean agreed. "I say if this thing wants to play, hell, let's go!" His gaze drifted across to Serena's. Her blue eyes were practically aflame with murderous intent and he knew why. "So Shortie, wanna help me raid your toy box downstairs so we can head after this thing? We've gotta get on it while there's a chance it's still in the area."

"Shortie?" Serena questioned with a raised eyebrow. She decided to let it go for the moment though and slowly stood up. "Sounds like a plan though. I'd rather go after this thing than sit around and wait for it to pop back up." She looked to Mara and quickly got the impression that it would just be her and Dean getting stuff together. She gave Mara a last warning glance before turning sharply and heading for the library.

Dean raised an eyebrow at Sam and Mara himself before pushing out of the chair and silently following in Serena's wake. If his brother and the redhead kept this up, he'd be spending a lot of time with Serena and he'd rather not have her pissed that whole time. He was going to have to find a way to get her mind off of it.

Mara watched Dean leave and as soon as she heard the click of the library's double doors behind him, she turned expectantly to Sam.

"So tell me just what exactly is going on here Sam," she said, staring at him directly in the eyes. "This is just starting to get interesting and I can't afford to have my mind clouded over, wondering just why in the hell I have the irresistible urge to jump you every frigging time I see you." A predatory smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she watched his eyes widen.

"Jump me, huh?" he laughed. "Well Mara to tell you the truth, I don't really know what it is either, but I just feel something between us. You're certainly not like anyone I've ever met before….well, other than Dean," he corrected, seeing her knowing look. He looked at her for a moment before shaking his head. "Actually no, I do have an idea to what started this," he admitted, taking a deep breath.

She could only listen as he briefly went over the vision, or well visions he had when they first arrived in Savannah and how he knew it was her when they collided in the hallway.

"I know it sounds crazy," he said, standing up and pacing the room. "I just…I can't help myself! Ever since I realized it was you that had invaded my thoughts, there are all these feelings and emotions….I just feel drawn to you. And I know you feel it too," he paused as he stopped to look at her. When she didn't reply, he continued pacing. "You think I'm crazy….maybe I _am_ crazy…"

"Sam," Mara said quietly, standing up and moving in front of him. She gently took his hands in her own and looked up into his face. "First off, we're all crazy," she said, causing him to smile. "Second, I don't care where this is all coming from or why. I just think we should take things as they come. There's something there between us and I'm sure as hell not going to fight it when there are better things to put that energy towards," she said suggestively, winking at him.

"It's really not a good idea for me to get involved with someone," Sam insisted, trying to keep himself from falling over the dark edge that loomed in front of him.

"All I'm saying is that you only live once. Why not take advantage of every opportunity you get?" Mara whispered as she drew closer to him.

* * *

**AN: The story is only just getting started! The next little bit is setting up for the REAL climax so it's nowhere near over right now! Thanks as always for reading and please take the few moments to leave a review or send a message letting us know what you think!! A HUGE thank you to Aria DeLoncray and AliceMCullen for their reviews!!!**


	7. Wham, Bam, Thank You Ma'am

**AN: I meant to get this up a while ago, but life has seen fit to throw a lot at me lately so more time passed than I had planned. We can't begin to thank all you guys enough for reading this! A HUGE thank you to our wonderful reviewers!!!! We love each and every bit of feedback we get!! Thanks again for taking the time to read through what our brains conjure up!! Hope you enjoy this next bit!!**

* * *

"_It's really not a good idea for me to get involved with someone," Sam insisted, trying to keep himself from falling over the dark edge that loomed in front of him._

"_All I'm saying is that you only live once. Why not take advantage of every opportunity you get?" Mara whispered as she drew closer to him. _

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

Dean followed Serena down to the weapons cache, trying in vain to get her attention.

"Hey come on Serena," he urged. "What's gotten you all worked up?"

She tossed a large black bag on the floor beneath the cabinet full of gleaming hand guns and turned to him. "You wanna know what's wrong? My _cousin_ is just setting herself up to get hurt _again_ and of course she won't listen to me. She never listens to me."

"Sam's a good guy, I think you would have noticed that by now," Dean pointed out as he made his way to stand beside her. "If anything happens, he wouldn't hurt her, I can promise you that. He's not that kind of guy."

"I know that," Serena said through clenched teeth. "It's Mara. She falls too hard, too fast. She always does, no matter what she tries to tell herself. And after…..oh never mind," she vented, throwing her hands up in frustration. Serena turned and began studying the cabinet in front of her, grabbing two guns and tucking them into the bag.

Dean stood there in silence, not knowing what to say. Instead, he opted to change the subject, hoping that would cause Serena so sheathe her claws. "Why the interest in guns?" he asked, picking up one from the bag and examining it.

"My grandfather was an avid gun collector. Half of these belonged to him," Serena said with a sigh as she made her way to the cabinet of shot guns. "His father taught him how to shoot, then he taught my father, and finally my father taught me. It's a MacKeltar family tradition I guess you could say. That's how Mara got into it as well. Her father and mine were brothers and to keep us from wrecking havoc when we were smaller, they channeled our _enthusiasm_ into training. They didn't want their daughters to not be able to defend themselves." She actually cracked a smile as she lifted an antique rifle from its stand. "This was the first one I learned how to shoot. I could barely pick it up." She held it for a moment before carefully setting it back.

"So that's why you're an ace shot," Dean mused. "Been at it for years, just like me and Sam."

"Longer apparently by the way you shoot," Serena teased, tossing a case of bullets to him. "I'm the good shot but Mara's the one with the knife fetish. We still don't really know where that one came from," she added laughing.

"There's one in every family," Dean agreed, nodding his head. "Or rather in the case of mine, it's…well everyone really."

They laughed for a moment, glad the mood had been lifted and hurried to finish tossing what they would need into Serena's bag. Dean tossed it over his shoulder when they finished and watched as Serena removed a gleaming gunmetal grey Springfield 1911 semi-automatic .45 and tucked it into the waistband of her jeans.

Dean whistled as she walked towards him. "Nice choice."

"I know," she replied with a smile. He stepped back and gestured her forward with his hand and she led the way out and back up the stairs.

As they crossed the hallway back into the living room, Serena's hackles went back up and Dean saw her hand twitch toward the gun at her back.

"A-hem," he cleared his throat loudly, causing Sam and Mara to jump back from one another. It was pretty obvious that if they had walked in any later, the two would have been involved in some pretty intense lip lock.

Serena stared blankly for a moment before turning and thumping down the hallway. They heard the front door slam and Dean winced.

"I thought you were the temperamental one….geez," he grimaced, looking pointedly at Mara. "Anyway, let's go kids, everyone in the car. We've got a deviant to hunt down."

A few minutes later found them all piled in the Impala as Dean drove through the streets of Savannah. The sun was just beginning to set and its dying orange-pink rays illuminated the pools of water that were scattered along the asphalt. It was deathly silent in the car, the only sounds coming from the rumbling of the engine and the tires splashing through the puddles. Serena had usurped Sam from his customary position in the passenger seat-she had been sitting there staring straight ahead when the rest came out to join her.

Dean looked up into the rearview mirror to see Mara and Sam staring out opposite windows, mouths clenched. By angling it down he saw that it was merely an act as their fingers were lightly entwined, resting on the cracked leather seats.

"Pull over here," Serena instructed, finally breaking the silence.

Dean glanced over at her, but did as she asked him to. They were across from a large park that ran along the river and Dean could just see the fading light glinting off the metal of a jungle gym.

"All of the kids we've gotten information on came to this park at some point around the time they claimed their parent started acting strange. Sam and I checked it out the other day but didn't come across anything. I'm guessing that if it's in the area and has come back out of hiding, there's a chance it'll show its ugly face here," Serena explained in a monotone voice. Her gaze met Dean's, the sun changing them from ocean's blue to fiery orange. He could take a hint.

"Sammy, let's go check over this way," he suggested, undoing his seat belt and tossing the door open.

Sam looked over to Mara before climbing out and following his brother. Neither looked back over their shoulder as they quickly crossed the street and disappeared into the lengthening shadows. Serena sighed loudly and likewise climbed out of the car. Mara quickly followed and the two stood on the sidewalk, pointedly not looking at one another.

Mara finally broke the silence, looking down at her cousin with flashing eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you Serena?"

Serena's eyes immediately flashed up to Mara's. She hardly ever called her by her actual name. "You know what's wrong Mara. Here you go…heading straight off a cliff again. You don't even know this guy and you've been making goo-goo eyes at him since whatever it was that happened that first night."

"Hey!" Mara said, raising a finger to point in Serena's face. "I know you're just trying to look out for me but you can't dictate my love life. You should be more concerned with actually getting a love life of your own. Ever since all that stuff with Benjamin you haven't even let a man get anywhere near you!"

"You know how much that hurt me Mara," Serena hissed.

"Yeah I do Laney," Mara soothed, placing her hand on her cousin's shoulder. "But you can't let that make you keep everyone else out forever. You've got to bring down those walls at some point. I mean, Dean's a nice guy and he's a hell of a lot better looking than Benjamin was. Why not just give it a try?"

"No," Serena murmured quietly. "I'm not going there. And you shouldn't either! You're just going to fall for the wrong guy again and then what'll happen? Mara it hasn't been that long since Bristol…"

"I know how long it's been since Bristol. And speaking of how much things hurt…if I can start moving past that then it's high time you did. I'm not going to let a chance at something slip by me just because it could turn out badly. Yeah sure it probably won't work out. I'm sure that pretty soon they'll take off and we won't see them again. But I'm too young to worry about all that so much," Mara explained with a steely edge to her voice.

A few tense moments passed as they stared one another down, each refusing to back down.

"God Serena you can be so stubborn…I don't know why people think I'm the pain in the ass," Mara said in exasperation, throwing her hands up into the air.

"I'm just tired of you getting hurt!" Serena insisted.

"And I'm tired of you living like a nun!" Mara retorted. "You wanna settle this the old fashioned way?"

"Fine by me," Serena agreed. "If I win, you've got to back off with Sam."

Mara winced slightly but tried not to let Serena see it. "Oh so it's a high stakes game is it? Okay. Well if I win then you have to get the icicle out of your ass and actually give Dean a chance. I mean _really_ give him a chance."

"Agreed. When we get back to the house, we'll settle this thing," Serena said matter-of-factly.

"Settle what?" Sam asked as he and Dean jogged back to the car.

Neither woman would answer. They simply stood there staring off at the setting sun.

"Well we didn't pick up on anything, just in case you wanted to know," Dean offered, shrugging. "Not like you're listening to me anyway," he mumbled as he climbed back into the driver's seat. Once everyone was back inside the car, he cranked the engine and sat there for a moment.

"There are a few other places I'd like to check out before we head back," Sam suggested, leaning forward.

"All right well then let's go," Mara said finally speaking up. "That okay with you Serena?"

"That's perfectly fine," Serena answered flatly.

"Looks like it's just you and me Sammy," Dean said. "You know, for once, I pity this thing if we do find it tonight."

They hit a few more spots that Serena and Sam had labeled as possible places the creature liked to frequent but to no avail. Apparently after its appearance that afternoon it had gone back into hiding. It had gotten fairly dark by the time they returned to Serena's house and a chill spiked the air. The temperature wasn't helped any by the cold shoulders Serena and Mara were still giving off. After Serena unlocked the house, they both disappeared up the stairs into their respective rooms as Sam and Dean could hear two doors slamming closed.

"Up for some poker?" Dean suggested as he and Sam found themselves standing alone in the hallway.

"Sure," Sam agreed. "Hey Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"If you were in my position, what would you do? I don't want to be the reason they're not speaking."

"Hell if I were you I would have already progressed the relationship way past the point you're at," Dean answered with a laugh. "Don't worry about it so much. We've been there before and we made it out without missing any major body parts. They'll settle this their own way. Now let's go play some cards."

About halfway through the first hand, they were interrupted by a loud yell, punctuated by the first few beats of a song that was turned up to an abnormal volume. Scrambling to their feet and knocking over the stools they were perched on in the kitchen, they raced towards the source of the sound. They skidded to a stop at the open door of the workout room and were faced with Serena and Mara, dressed in sports bras and form-fitting work out shorts clashing with….

"Wait a minute…are they fighting with Japanese katanas?" Sam wondered in amazement.

"Well you're the encyclopedia of weirdness so you tell me," Dean was forced to yell back as "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse was being blasted at a level that made his ears ring. "Good music though and dammit…you gotta admit this is freaking HOT!"

Sam pinned his brother with a scathing look but was forced to admit to himself that the sight of the two women slashing and parrying at one another as sweat beaded up on their skin was fairly enticing.

"You think we should stop them?" he asked Dean loudly over the music.

"You kidding me?" Dean yelled back. "I wanna see who wins!"

Serena and Mara seemed to be almost dancing as they moved in synchronization back and forth across the padded floor, their gleaming, sleek blades weaving back and forth. Both women's faces were crinkled in concentration as they tried to read each other's moves and anticipate what would happen next.

Serena ducked under Mara's blade as it whistled towards her head and spun on her heel, kicking her free leg out to knock Mara's legs out from under her. Mara tucked and neatly rolled back up to her feet, popping back up into an automatic fighting stance. With one hand around the hilt of her blade, she feigned a cross cut which distracted Serena enough for Mara to grab hold of her upper right arm. Serena twisted, tossing her katana to the ground and quickly flipped Mara over her left shoulder. Lightning quick, she scooped the blade back into her grip and whipped around just in time to block Mara's downward slashing arc.

Sam and Dean watched all of this in fascination. The clashing of the steel blades seemed to be emphasized by the driving bass of the song playing and every now and then, one of them would yell or grunt in frustration or effort as Serena and Mara pushed each other to their limits.

The strikes became more intense as each woman gripped her hilt with both hands, and they darted back and forth across the room. Mara tried to use her height to her advantage by utilizing strong downward arcs but Serena was a little quicker and managed to twist out of the way each time. Finally, their blades locked as they pressed them together, straining against the strength of the other. Green eyes bore into blue over the crossed blades, neither willing to back down.

Just when Sam thought he was going to have to intervene before one broke the blade of the other and cut through something important, Serena and Mara backed up simultaneously just as the last beats of the song faded out. Something unspoken passed between them and Serena held out her hand.

"Call it a draw?" she asked, her voice ragged from her heavy breathing.

"It's a draw. It's always a draw when we fight with these!" Mara laughed in between gasping breaths as she took her cousin's outstretched hand.

"I know," Serena laughed as well. "Hey, I'm sorry. I'm really okay with it I swear. I know you can take care of yourself."

"I'm sorry too Laney," Mara said, moving to wrap her cousin in a bear hug. "And I will be careful. I promise. Think you'll take my other words of advice into consideration as well?" She waggled her eyebrows playfully.

"I'll think about it," Serena agreed quietly, smiling.

"Wow, I think the seventh hell just froze over…"Mara whooped, finally looking up to see a stunned Sam and Dean still frozen in the doorway. "Well boys, you can come out now. We won't bite you…hard anyways," she finished with a grin and a wink as she walked towards Sam.

"Sammy, I think I've died and gone to heaven," Dean mumbled as he stared, fixated on Serena's form as she whipped her gleaming katana around a few times, spinning it in her hands for fun.

Mara caught this as she reached them and a big grin broke out on her face. "Well then handsome, I've just done you a huge favor. Come Dean, walk with me, talk with me…"

"Are you going to make me an offer I can't refuse?" Dean quipped, grinning as she tugged him along with her out into the hallway.

"You bet your sweet bottom I am," Mara said innocently. "And that deal would be that I won't rip your balls out through your throat if you play your cards right."

Dean instantly went pale at the thought and he swallowed hard. "Well you sure know how to sweet talk a guy now don't you?"

"Listen here Romeo…she needs somebody right now. I think you could be just the right person to help get her out of this funk she's been in for the past two years or so. My advice is…just be yourself. Don't use your smooth talking charmer act on her-trust me it won't work," Mara said as she stared Dean down. "Things go smoothly, hey everyone gets to have a little fun and Laney gets out of her rut. Things go south and well…I think you already know what happens then."

"Yeah, balls through throat…got it."

"Good boy. Now I'm starving!" Mara exclaimed as her stomach rumbled. "Hey Laney…calling in a pizza sound good to you?"

"Sounds good to me," Serena agreed, sliding her katana back into its sheath and making her way to the door. "Tell me what you guys want and I'll just go pick it up. They can never find this place anyway."

A few minutes later, Serena had thrown on an oversized hooded sweatshirt over her workout clothes and was rifling through her purse through her keys as Mara called in the order for three large pizzas. Dean had claimed he could eat an entire one by himself, and no one dared to argue with him.

"There you are," Serena exclaimed as her fingers closed around the cold metal.

"Want some company?" Dean asked, coming up behind her in the hallway.

"Thanks, but I think I just really need some time to clear out my head right now," Serena said with a smile.

"Okay well, ya know, be careful. This thing's still out there," he cautioned.

"I will be," she promised. "See you in a bit," she called as she closed the front door behind her.

Dean stood there for a few moments, listening to her car drive away.

_What's so different about this girl? Why do I get this feeling whenever she's around?_ he asked himself. _Better yet, what the hell's wrong with me? Focus Dean…FOCUS!_

"Hey Sam," Mara called out as she leaned her head into the hallway, spotting Dean. "I think someone's got it pretty bad. Check this out-puppy's waiting by the door for his mistress to come back home."

As Dean whipped around at the sound of her voice, he saw Sam's head pop around the corner above Mara's.

"Awwww….idn't he adorable??" Sam cooed, batting his eyelashes.

"Dude….so not funny," Dean growled as he stalked towards them.

"Shit!" Mara shrieked. "Run!"

Mara and Sam took off running, laughing hysterically, skidding around the island with Dean chasing them threatening to beat them six ways to Sunday. They kept circling the island until Dean finally turned the opposite way and waited. Mara was so busy laughing and trying not to fall that she ran smack into him. She gave a playful shriek when he put her into a headlock and started giving her "noogies". At that point, Sam decided to get in on the fun too, tickling Mara's sides, making her laugh and scream for them to let her go. They finally released her when she threatened to pee in her pants from laughing too hard.

"So that's what it's like to have a brother," Mara said in between laughs.

"Yeah…well…just remember. You started this," Dean replied with a grin as he pointed a finger at her.

"Oh…is that so? Well how about I finish it then, too?" Mara said with a grin, as she stood up and started for Dean. Sam pulled her to a stop, while they all laughed.

Serena retracted the convertible top of her car and turned up the music as she made her way to her favorite late-night pizza parlor. She had needed this time to herself to sort through the jumble of thoughts tumbling around in her head. Not only had she been thrown into the middle of Mara's world containing monsters and hunters, she had the Winchesters to deal with as well. She felt like she had been spinning out of control since they first walked into her office that first day and if she was anything, Serena was a person who craved order and control. It was her life and she liked to know which way it was going, but lately, she had no clue what was around the next corner.

She had no idea why she had acted so vehemently towards Mara and Sam's burgeoning relationship-well okay she was lying to herself about that one. She was jealous. Jealous that Mara could open herself to someone she barely knew in that way. Sure she kept her secrets but she was still able to hope, to dive off a cliff and just enjoy the fall. Even if it got her into trouble some times, she was still living her life with no regrets and Serena found herself desiring that ability with each passing hour.

While she was on the subject of desires, she forced herself to finally face the subject of Dean Winchester. Sure he was fantastically good looking…and funny. And smart. And charming…and a hell of a good shot. And…

_Oh who am I kidding?_ she thought. _I'm already attracted to the man, cockiness and all. _Her words to Mara came roaring back into her ears at that moment. _I guess I've thought about it then…dammit. I hate when she's right. _ She laughed and pressed down on the accelerator a little more, feeling her car respond smoothly as it sped down the dimly lit highway.

_No time like the present to let go of the past….and to hope for the future. _

The next morning, Dean walked downstairs to see Sam and Serena sitting at the kitchen island going over notes. A small pang of jealously went through Dean as he realized he wasn't the type of man who was content with research. He was a man of action, he couldn't help it. But as Serena looked up and smiled at him, his jealously quickly evaporated.

"Morning. Want some coffee?" Serena asked as she got up to refill her own cup.

"Morning….and coffee would be amazing. I'm still trying to wake up," Dean said as he twisted from side to side, stretching his back. Their hands brushed as Serena handed him his coffee and he was stunned momentarily, just staring at her. She wasn't looking at him, but down at their hands, and her face was turning slightly pink. As she moved back to her seat, Dean was left wondering again what it was about her that drew him. Shaking his head at the thought, he pulled out a stool and sat down.

"So…what's up? Got a plan yet?" Dean asked as he took a slow sip of his coffee.

Sam shuffled around some papers and looked up. "We have an issue." When Dean only raised an eyebrow at that, Sam plunged on. "Serena and I just finished going over everything we have _again_, and we finally noticed a pattern. We have a really good chance to actually pin this thing down today, but that's where our problem comes in. I completely agree with Mara on the idea of this being an incubus, succubus or whichever. With all the information we've compiled, it is the best fit. There's just nothing we can find on how to kill the thing. I think we need to call Bobby."

As Dean nodded, Serena spoke up. "Who's Bobby?"

Sam got up and pulled out his cell phone to make the call, so Dean was left to explain. "He's kind of like our uncle. We're not blood related but we grew up around him. He's always been there to help us and whatnot. We call him whenever we can't figure something out."

"Ah. Mara's got a friend like that," Serena said, nodding.

"So…where is the Cousin of Doom?" Dean asked with a smirk.

"What time is it?" Serena asked, not looking up from her papers.

Dean frowned and looked at his watch. "It's 9AM. Why?"

"Well there's your answer," Serena answered with a laugh. She looked up to see a confused look on Dean's face so she explained what she meant. "If it's before 10AM…then Mara's still in bed. She's a bit of a night owl."

"Oh. Well…we might have to go wake her up. Depending on what Sam finds out from Bobby anyways," Dean said with a laugh.

"Well…I vote we send your brother to the slaughter. I'm not waking her up," Serena said as she grinned wickedly.

"Fine by me," Dean agreed, although he wasn't exactly sure what she meant by that.

Meanwhile, Sam was pacing through the living room as he dialed Bobby's number.

"This better be good to be waking me up this early," Bobby grunted as soon as he answered, making Sam laugh.

"Hiya, Bobby. It's Sam. I need to see if you know how to kill something," Sam said, trying not to laugh at Bobby's grumpiness.

"I know how to kill lots of things, you idjit, so you're gonna have to be a little more specific than that," Bobby said with a small chuckle.

"We've been hunting an incubus/succubus. We've gone through all the lore we can find, but we can't find anything that says specifically how to kill them. I think we've got a good shot at flushing this thing out today so please tell me you've got something for me Bobby," Sam pleaded as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"You're kidding me right? Didn't you look through your dad's journal?" Bobby asked incredulously.

"Yea…and there's nothing that we can make heads or tails of in it. Do you know how to kill it? Have you ever run across one before?" Sam asked.

"It's been a while since I had to hunt one but you should know how to kill it, Sam. It's just like killing a shape shifter. Silver through the heart or the head. I'd recommend both, just to be sure you've done your job," Bobby replied.

"Oh. You're kidding. That's all it takes?" Sam asked, flabbergasted that it was so simple.

"Yep. Now…is that all? Because it's still early and I'd like to go back to sleep," Bobby said dryly.

"Yeah. Wow. That's it. Sorry to wake you up, Bobby. Thanks," Sam said as he started walking back towards the kitchen.

As Sam was getting off the phone with Bobby, Dean looked up. "So…did he know?"

"Yeah…and you'll never believe it," Sam said with a small laugh.

"What?" Dean asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Silver. Just like taking out a shape shifter," Sam said as he sat down.

"You're kiddin' me! That's it? WOW!" Dean said as he shook his head. "Well that makes it easy, don't it?"

"Yep. Now all we gotta do is hope we're right about this timing thing," Sam said as he moved to sit down.

Serena spoke up and pointed at Sam. "Don't sit down. You need to go wake Mara up."

Serena and Dean grinned as Sam's jaw dropped. "What? Why me?"

"Because she'll take a swing at Dean…and I don't feel like trying to wake her up this morning," Serena replied calmly. "Just watch out for the Twins and you'll be fine," Serena cautioned, shooing him out of the room.

"The Twins?" Both of the boys asked in unison.

"Yep. She'll show you when she wakes up. Now go, Sam. We're wasting time here," Serena said with a laugh as she shuffled him out of the kitchen.

As Sam walked up the stairs, he wondered which reaction he would get from Mara. Would she be affectionate like the other morning? Or would she pull a blade on him? He wasn't sure he liked being this attracted to a woman that was just as likely to hurt him as not. But as it seemed that everything was pretty much already out in the open, he decided he just might as well go with it. As he slowly opened the door to her room, he looked around the cluttered space, letting his gaze slowly wander to the bed. Mara was sprawled out on her stomach with the covers tangled around her body, barely halfway covering her. Sam swallowed hard as he realized she was wearing what seemed to be her standard underclothes, a low cut tank top and skimpy panties. How was he supposed to think straight and remember that they had a job to do when he couldn't stop staring at the body laid out before him? He cursed at himself when he realized the panties didn't even cover her whole bottom. Good LORD, he was in trouble. He slowly made his way over to the bed and then remembered the warning Serena had given him.

As he reached under the pillow, he realized that Mara's hand was resting on a blade. Shit. He kept his hand around hers and slowly bent down, kissing her softly on the cheek. She shifted slowly and he waited, with his face still close to hers, for her to wake up. When she didn't move again, he called her name softly and was immediately confronted with bright green eyes. Thankfully, he had her hand pinned down, but he had forgotten that Serena had mentioned The _Twins__,_ as in plural. Mara quickly shifted and brought a second blade to his throat. He stayed as still as possible while he waited for her to wake up completely and recognize him. He watched as the light of recognition hit her eyes and he couldn't stop himself, he kissed her full on with all the repressed passion he'd been keeping in since he first had that dream. He felt the blade move from his throat and clatter to the floor, and felt her other hand release the blade and grab onto his hand instead. She kissed him back with just as much passion and pulled at his shoulders, making him tumble onto the bed on top of her. As he tumbled he was forced to relinquish her enticing mouth to catch his balance. As he caught his balance, he looked up to see Mara barely holding in her laughter, and he started laughing himself. She rubbed his back lightly and kissed him on the cheek.

"Well…that was a damn nice wakeup call!" Mara said as she wriggled underneath him.

"I'm glad you think so…but we need to get a move on," Sam said as he brushed the hair from her face and kissed her cheek in return.

Mara gave a dramatic sigh and said, "Fine. Ugh. Let me get dressed."

Sam moved off of the bed and walked to the door, turning to see her sliding on jeans and buttoning a shirt over her tank top. She looked up and smiled at him, and his heart clenched in his chest. He watched as she put on socks and grabbed her boots and walked over to him. She gave him a tender kiss on the lips and smiled at him. He turned and opened the door for her and as they walked down the stairs he wondered how much longer he and his brother were going to be able to stay after they hunted this thing down. He hoped they'd be able to stay for at least a little while. He didn't want to leave Mara, but he knew at some point he would have to for her own safety.


	8. Pull the Trigger, Fuel the Fire

**AN**: **Got a nice, long new chapter for you guys!! This is basically going to wrap up the "introduction arc" and bridges into the main plot of the story which we'll be getting into fairly soon! Hope you like it and don't worry, there's a lot more action coming up!! Thanks again to everyone who put this on their favorites or alerts and a BIG thanks to everyone who reviewed!!**

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Serena and Dean looked up from the papers and maps on the island top to see Mara walking in with Sam close behind her. Serena gave a small smile and went back to searching the map in front of her.

"So what're the Twins?" Dean asked as he got up to refill his coffee.

"No explanations until after I've had my Mt. Dew, dude," Mara said as she pulled a soda from the fridge and popped it open. After she chugged half of the can, she gave a happy sigh and set the can down on the counter. She turned and saw that she already had both of the boys' attention. She reached behind her and slowly pulled out the two curved six inch daggers she always kept at her back. As both of their jaws dropped, she laughed and handed one to each of them for them to look at.

"Those are the Twins. And before you ask…they're double forged silver. The knot work at the hilt is Celtic for passion and longevity. They were a gift from my father when I turned eighteen, he had them designed specifically for me," Mara said with a smile as she remembered the day her father had given these to her. She had been so excited that she had accidentally cut herself on them. And as her father told her, as he helped her clean her hands of blood, 'you bled on them, they're yours now. They will never be as good of a weapon for anyone else as they will be for you'. She watched with respect as both of the boys studied them carefully and handed them back to her.

"Ok…so. Mara…while you were being the undead snoring giant, Sam called their version of Yoda and found out how to kill this asshole," Serena said. "Sam and I both woke up a few hours ago and finally realized that this thing has developed a pattern. We've got a really good shot at cornering it today, we just have to decide where to start looking."

"Yoda huh? Is he small and green?" Mara asked with a laugh as she finished off her Mt. Dew and pulled another one from the fridge.

"Try redneck in a trucker hat," Dean countered with a grin.

"Nice. So….where should we start?" Mara said as she stood beside Sam, leaning on his shoulder.

"I think our best bet is for the park. I know it wasn't there yesterday but I have the feeling it'll be there today," Serena said as she shuffled different maps of the area around. She found the one she was looking for and handed it to Mara, knowing Mara would memorize it in a few minutes and hand it back.

"Good. We'll start there. What'd guru say about how to kill it?" She asked, looking over at Sam. She swallowed when she realized that he was so tall, he was at eye level with her even though he was sitting.

"Silver. Just like a shifter," Sam replied as he took the map from her to have a look for himself.

"You're kidding?! Really? That's all? Wow…" Mara said with a shake of her head.

"Alright…well let's go raid the stash and get a move on. It's about time we finished this," Dean said as he stretched and got up.

They spent an hour or so gathering weapons from the weapons cache and headed back up the stairs. On the way up, Mara hung back from the guys and pulled Serena aside.

"Laney…I need you to stay here," Mara said, looking at her cousin with concern.

"What do you mean stay?" Serena asked. As realization dawned on her, her blue eyes flashed furiously. "You didn't have a problem with me going out all those other times looking for it! What's different now?!"

"Look Laney…I know you're trained and you can take care of yourself," Mara tried to explain. "But you're not trained for this world. Not yet. After we knock this blip off the radar, I intend to train you and make sure you're ready for the next hunt. Today may be our only shot at this thing and I can't afford the risk to you right now. I need all my concentration. I can't be going after this thing and be worried about you at the same time."

"I can't believe you Mara! You dragged me into this world and now you won't let me fight?! How can you possibly even DARE to begin to do this to me?!" Serena screamed into her cousin's face.

Mara stayed calm and pleaded quietly, "Serena. Please. For me…just sit this one out. Just this once. Please. You know how I feel about things like this and this is pretty much one of the last things on earth I want you within 500 miles of. For my sake, stay this time."

Serena didn't know how to react to that. Mara had used her real name again so yet again, she meant business. Besides, she was always powerless against the pleading gaze of her cousin. She knew that Mara wouldn't keep her out of anything if she had a choice in the matter. Admitting defeat, she nodded.

Mara pulled her cousin into a hug. "Thank you, Laney. Just stay inside and lock all the doors and windows."

Serena nodded glumly and walked over to the door with Mara, handing her the bag she had been carrying.

Dean chucked her lightly under her chin as he walked by her. "Don't worry Shortie, there will always be other fights."

Serena could only nod as she told them all to be careful and to call if they needed anything. As she shut the door behind them, she decided to release her frustration in a productive manner by going to the workout room with her set of throwing knives. She needed the practice anyways and it was a good way to get her mind off of being left behind.

Mara called shotgun as they walked to the Impala, knowing she'd never be allowed to drive it. She gave directions to Dean on how to get back to the park and sat back, taking in the scenery and keeping her eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. Thanks to traffic, it took them almost an hour to get to the park. Unfortunately it was packed with families and couples enjoying the day when they did arrive.

"Shit. How're we gonna know which one it is?" Dean asked.

"No idea…but we'll find it," Sam said as Mara shrugged.

They walked around for an hour or so, trying to look like a normal set of friends that were just out enjoying the day. Right as Dean's grumbles were starting to get to Mara, she got the feeling that someone was looking at her.

"Guys…it's here," Mara said trying to look around without looking obvious about it.

"How do you know?" They both asked her at the same time.

She rolled her eyes at their double-mint twins moment and replied, "I don't know exactly how…I just know it's here. It's the same feeling I got the other day when I was tossed across the yard." She took Sam's hand and swung their intertwined fingers between them. "Let's go this way, dear."

She looked down at the ground and spoke softly to Dean, "Please don't shoot any innocents."

"I'm not that trigger happy kiddo," Dean replied, insulted.

As they rounded a corner of the nature path, they saw it. It looked like a man, but at the same time not. There was something off about it. And it was feeding from a young woman who couldn't have been any older than Mara herself. As it saw them, it gave a nasty snarl and took off running, dropping the poor woman in a heap on the sidewalk. Dean fired three shots at it but missed, as the creature dodged and swerved around the trees and bushes.

"SHIT!!" Mara cursed as she let go of Sam's hand and took off running, with the boys following close behind her. She yelled back at Sam, "Check that poor girl and make sure she's ok!"

As Sam got close to the woman, he realized with dismay that she was already dead. It looked like the poor girl had been drained completely dry and her throat had been ripped or chewed to pieces. Giving the corpse a piteous look, he turned around to yell "Somebody-help!" before he took off running after Mara and Dean. Even though there wasn't anything he could really do for the woman, he hated the thought of leaving her there and he hoped someone would make sure her family was notified.

After what seemed like an eternity of near misses, Mara was getting damn tired of running. It felt like they were constantly two steps behind the thing and it was beginning to piss her off. She looked around and terror gripped her as she realized that the scenery was beginning to look familiar. _Shit._ She pulled out her phone as she made a quick decision to change directions and try to head it off.

Serena had just finished cleaning off her favorite gun when her phone started buzzing. She didn't even get the chance to say anything when she picked it up.

"Laney! Double check and lock all the damn doors and windows and stay the hell inside!" Mara screamed through the phone.

"What? What's going on, Mara? What happened?" Serena asked, getting worried.

"It's going through the woods heading towards the house. Just stay inside!" Mara shouted and then hung up. Serena did as Mara asked and double checked all the doors and windows, but she also loaded her gun with magazine full of silver rounds.

As Mara came up to the right side of the front of the house, Dean was coming up the left side. The creature should've been in between them. Sam ran up in between them a few moments later and they all looked to one another.

"DAMNIT! It's gotta be here!" Dean shouted. The three of them started searching the yards and surrounding woods, coming up with nothing. Mara started cussing under her breath, making Dean raise his eyebrows in appreciation for her knowledge of slang.

They started for the front door when Mara got that feeling again, the fissure of pressure going up her spine. She spun around, furious, yelling her frustrations to the thick air. "I know you're here you bastard. Why don't you show your ugly mug?"

There was a soft rustling noise followed by a strangled exclamation from Sam. Mara and Dean spun simultaneously, guns raised, to see the sickeningly white face of the incubus, it's thin, tapered fingers clutched around Sam's throat. It was incredibly tall, standing several inches over Sam and its orange-red eyes flickered quickly between the two guns pointed at it.

"You called?" it wheezed, its breathing ragged. "Watch it!" it instructed, as Mara shifted her aim slightly. "Make one move and I'll slice straight through lover boy's throat here," it cautioned, sliding a sharp nail along the bottom of Sam's chin for emphasis.

"Hang on Sammy," Dean called out. "Listen you big piece of ugly, if you put one scratch on him I'll…"

"Oh you'll do what?" the incubus laughed. "You may be a quick shot, but I promise I'm quicker. He'll still be dead before I hit the ground. Even though you interrupted my feeding, I'm still stronger than you. Speaking of which," he trailed off as he tightened one hand around Sam's throat and used the other to drag a deep cut where his neck and shoulder met. Sam grunted with pain as the incubus dipped his head down and sampled his blood. "Mmm…aren't you an interesting variety?" it purred, its voice becoming more like velvet than the ragged scratching it had been before. As Mara and Dean watched in horror, its form rippled and shifted as it fed from Sam. It remained roughly the same height but its hair and nails lengthened and when it finally looked up, it was a woman's face that now stared back.

"You know you things really are disgusting," Dean spat, infuriated.

Mara's gaze was practically aflame. The sight of some parasite feeding off of Sam, especially one that looked like a woman now, was enough to rattle her down to her core. As it was, she was having to exert an abnormal amount of energy to keep her aim steady as she was starting to shake violently. "You filthy piece of shit. Get the hell away from him…NOW!" she roared.

"Oooh…a little jealous are we?" the now succubus asked in a smooth, lilting voice. "Such a pretty face…I can see why you'd want to keep him around. He's just simply, delicious," it said, suggestively licking its lips. "I really don't have the time to deal with all of you right now, so just let me take him as a consolation prize for your disrupting my feeding grounds and we can call it even," it said, stroking Sam's hair with one hand.

"No way you bitch," Dean said, tightening his grip on his gun. "I'll see you rot in hell first."

"Oooh…after you handsome. You know, I think I may have to take you with me as we-"

It was cut off by the sound of a gun firing twice in rapid succession. The succubus jerked forward, pushing Sam away from it as the bullets tore into each of its shoulders. It turned, murderous intent in its eyes to see Serena standing on the front porch, the smoking gun still held in her raised hands.

"You know what happens when the bad guy starts up a monologue don't you?" Serena quipped sarcastically, cocking her head to one side.

The succubus screamed in rage and flung itself at Serena who simply fired off another shot that burrowed into the creature's chest. The flesh around the wound started to dissolved rapidly and when it looked back up, Serena quickly fired another shot that found its mark dead between its eyes. With a howl, it quickly dissolved into nothing.

No one moved for a pair of heartbeats, Mara and Dean could only stare in amazement at the woman on the porch who still had her gun trained on the spot the creature disappeared from. Then reality came rushing back to them, and they ran to Sam's side.

"Sammy?? You okay?" Dean asked as he dropped down beside him.

"Yeah…I'm fine. I just wish I hadn't let it get the drop on me like that," Sam said, wincing slightly as they helped him to stand.

Mara's voice was caught in her throat and she couldn't speak at first, she could only look at Sam, searching his face with worry written all over her own. He put a hand on her cheek and made her pause. "I'm fine. I promise," he soothed.

She nodded and then shook herself. "Okay, I'm good. I just…GOD! I wanted to strangle that thing with my own hands…I swear. But Serena…" she started, finally looking up at her cousin.

Serena had halfway lowered her gun, but looked completely stunned, like she couldn't believe what she had just seen.

"Laney?" Mara called, as she stepped away from the brothers to approach her cousin. "Laney, put Kitty away, God knows you scare me with that thing."

Serena finally looked back at Mara and lowered the gun all the way to her side. Then a wide grin broke out on her face and she seemed to light up. "How's that for training Mara? Think you'll try to keep me out of the next fight?"

Mara couldn't help but laugh as she hugged Serena. "Not on your life kiddo…you saved our asses there. I'm sending you in first next time!"

Serena kept grinning until her gaze focused on Sam. "Dean-help him up to the first bathroom upstairs. I'll grab my first aid kit and we'll try to clean him up. Sam you need something for pain? I've got some stuff that will knock you right out if you need it."

Sam smiled at her, glad that things truly did seem to be settled. "I think I'll be okay. I really could use a drink…or two though," he added.

Mara laughed, as she held the door open so Dean could maneuver Sam through it. "I think we've all earned a night out. Everyone up for that?"

"You know I am," Dean said over his shoulder.

"Me too," Serena agreed. "All right boys, who's buying my first drink tonight? I think I deserve it since I'm the one who dusted that thing," Serena teased as she followed them up the stairs.

"I think I should since you know, you actually did save my ass," Sam chuckled.

"Then I've got the second one," Dean chimed in.

"Works for me!" Serena laughed. "Hey Mara, come help me get all the stuff we'll need to clean your boy up," she called as she left Sam and Dean in the bathroom and headed to her own room.

"My boy? Where did that come from?" Mara questioned as she followed her cousin down the hallway.

"Dean?" Sam began once they were alone. "Should we really be staying? What about…"

"Save it Sammy. I know you want to stay for a while, just as much as I do," Dean interrupted.

"Yeah but what about what Cas…"

"Dude…we're staying. For a week or so anyways. It's about damn time we got a break. Something big comes up, he'll find us. He always does, whether we want him to or not," Dean mumbled under his breath. "So let the good doctor patch you up and who knows? You may get laid yet!"

"So not funny Dean," Sam muttered.

"Yeah well, she's definitely got it in for you so…"

"Who's got it in for you?" Serena asked as she and Mara stepped back into the bathroom, each carrying several items.

"N-nothing," Sam hurriedly said.

They shrugged it off and Serena moved to examine Sam's wound as Mara flitted around handed her whatever she needed.

"I thought you were a head doctor and not actually licensed to stitch people up," Dean observed as Serena carefully cleaned the wound.

"Since no stitching needs to be done thankfully, I think we'll be okay," Serena popped back. "But just so you rest easier, I did ace my gross anatomy lab. I know my way around the human body," she finished with a wink in Dean's direction.

Dean quickly shut up after that and there was silence for a few moments until Sam spoke up.

"I've got a question. Just what is this Kitty thing you keep talking about?" he asked.

Mara and Serena both laughed as Mara leaned over to grab the .45 Springfield 1911 Serena had tucked into the back of her jeans.

"Boys, this is Kitty," she said, turning the shining, deep gunmetal colored hand gun over in her hands.

"Why the hell do you call it that?" Dean asked.

"Cause of this," Mara answered, showing both boys the small, metallic blue etching of Hello Kitty that was placed right before the safety on the right side.

"That's kinda creepy," Sam grimaced.

"You're telling me," Mara said nodding in agreement. "Freaks me out just thinking about that damn thing."

"All right, if you don't stop making fun of my favorite gun, I'll have to whip all of your asses at target practice again," Serena interjected, standing up. "Okay Sam, I've got you all wrapped up so you should be fine. We'll keep an eye on it though. So," she said, gathering up her supplies, "let's go pay Charlie another visit."

* * *

About half an hour later, Dean jogged down the stairs as he rolled back the sleeves on his red and black plaid flannel shirt. He automatically headed for the kitchen and found Sam already sitting as his usual place at the island wearing jeans and his favorite crisp white button down, sleeves also rolled up, making his way through a bowl of cereal. Dean mentally paused for a moment, questioning how odd it was that he was already starting to think of their routine in this house as normal-as opposed to their actual lives that they would have to return to in a few days.

"You feeling okay still?" he asked Sam, forcing himself out of thoughts he'd rather not deal with at the moment.

"Yeah," Sam said after he washed down the last of his cereal with some orange juice. "I feel great actually."

Dean had been rummaging through the fridge but popped his head back out at that comment."Sam, you sly dog you finally went for it didn't you?"

"No Dean!" Sam protested. "Dude…you really have to get your mind out of the gutter."

"No Sammy, I don't," Dean said with a grin as he went back to searching for food. He finally snatched a few things and carried them over to the island where he sat, eating and chatting with his brother for a while before they heard someone else coming down the stairs.

They looked up and Dean whistled in appreciation as Mara stalked into the kitchen. She had on a deep green v-neck sleeveless shirt and jeans but what was really striking was the fact that she had finally let her fiery red hair out of its usual twist and it fell in wild curls down to her waist.

"Serena made me do it," she explained, sliding onto the stool beside Sam.

"Wow," was all Sam could get out at the moment. He reached out and gingerly touched a silky strand. "My god you're beautiful," he murmured. Mara blushed furiously at his comment.

"Oh please," Dean protested. "Not while I'm eating."

Mara fixed him with a mischievous grin. "Oh just you wait. I'm the one who picked out what Laney's wearing."

As if on cue, hesitant footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. "Mara?" Serena hissed from around the corner. "Mara get over here. Right now."

Mara sighed and walked to the stairs and the boys could hear them arguing in hushed voices.

"Mara MacKeltar, I'm going to kill you. I'm not walking out there in this."

"Yeah well you made me let this mop down."

"You look beautiful with your hair down!"

"And you look hot in that so get your ass out there!" This was followed by a muffled shriek and a thump and Mara shoved Serena through the doorway and into the kitchen.

Dean glanced up and promptly choked on the handful of chips he was trying to swallow. Serena was wearing a very low cut cobalt blue halter dress that showed almost every inch of her long legs. She was also wearing strappy black stilettos that put her close to Mara's height.

"I am NOT wearing this to the bar," Serena growled.

At that moment, Sam noticed his brother was turning a very peculiar shade of purple.

"Dean!" He jumped up and started smacking his brother on his back. After a few whacks, Dean coughed and started breathing normally.

"Thanks Sam," he said shakily, still not able to take his eyes off Serena.

Mara started laughing hysterically. "Laney, go upstairs and change. I'm not making you wear that to the bar. I just wanted to see Tonto here's face."

Serena vanished up the stairs while Mara and Sam had a good laugh at Dean's expense while he tried to recover.

"That is so not funny," he said, pointing an accusing finger at Mara.

"Yeah, yeah, but you can't tell me you didn't enjoy that," Mara retorted with a knowing glance.

"Hell yeah I did. Why'd you tell her to go change??" Dean asked, throwing up his hands in frustration.

Sam and Mara only laughed harder.

* * *

An hour later found them all arriving at Serena's favorite bar once again, with Serena wearing a normal red top and jeans much to Dean's disappointment. As soon as they walked in, the girls made a bee line for the crowded bar, and the scruffy-looking older man behind it called out their names, a smile lighting up his face. He came out from the bar to wrap an arm around each one, squeezing them to his sides.

"Well aren't you two a sight for sore eyes!" Charlie exclaimed as he finally released them. "This one's usually better at coming to keep me company," he said, pointing an accusing finger at Serena.

"Sorry Charlie," she said, putting on a pronounced pout. "Think you can forgive me?"

"Hell, I can always forgive you when you bat those baby blues at me darlin'," he chuckled. He looked up as Sam and Dean approached cautiously behind the girls, each nodding to him.

"So that's what's kept my girls away from me," Charlie admonished with a wink to them. "You can't tell me they can actually keep up with you though. I'll never believe that."

Mara laughed and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I don't think there's a man alive who can do that honey, but god help them, they surely do try."

"All right, well you just let ol' Charlie know if they step outta line. I'm not too old to whip their asses that's for sure. I'm assuming you're hitting up the pool tables if the damage you did last time is anything to go by," he said, grinning at Mara.

"You know it!" Mara said, smiling.

"I'll send over a round soon as you get settled. Now give me some love and go wipe the floors with your boy toys over there," he instructed, pointing to each of his cheeks.

Serena and Mara laughed and gave him big kisses on each cheek before finally turning back around to the boys.

"Who's gonna be my first victim?" Mara asked with gleaming eyes.

Dean raised an eyebrow at her and narrowed his eyes. "Oh you think you're getting off so easy this time huh? You and me sweetheart-I gotta win back some of my respect."

"Just don't play for money Dean," Sam urged, his forehead in his hand.

"Shall we?" Mara forced out between laughs as she offered her arm to Dean.

"It would be my pleasure," Dean replied, linking arms with her as they made their way through the mostly leather-clad crowd to the pool tables.

"Well, shall we go watch the carnage and make sure they don't get into more trouble than usual?" Sam asked, likewise offering Serena his arm.

"If we aren't there to pull them out of the fire who will?" Serena laughed, looping her arm through his.

"True, but you realize this pretty much makes us the sidekicks right?" Sam said, grinning down at her as they followed in Mara and Dean's wake.

"I guess so," Serena sighed. "All right Boy Wonder, let's go keep an eye on Batman and Wonder Woman."

They laughed the rest of the way to the pool table area and quickly claimed an open booth along the wall closest to the table Mara and Dean were setting up. Soon after they sat down, four shots and a bucket of beers arrived from Charlie. Mara hurried over to toss down her shot and blew a kiss to the bar tender after she did so.

"Man, I needed that," she said, smacking her lips. "You ready for this?" she asked Dean who was also tossing back a shot.

He slammed the glass back down and shot a wicked smile at her. "Oh you know I am."

Two games, three rounds of shots, and a second bucket of beer later, Mara and Dean were tied.

Dean tossed the last shot back and fixed Mara with a look. "I almost had you on that last one. I think you're losing your touch."

"Oh now you've done it," Serena groaned, leaning down onto the table.

"Laney's right Tonto, you've done it now," Mara said, smiling a little too brightly. "I was taking it easy on you so you'd look better in front of your woman but oh no…you had to go and say something. Round three –right now." She chugged the rest of her beer and crawled over Sam to get out of the booth.

Dean took a deep breath and stood up slowly. "Yeah…I am so screwed," he mumbled.

Sam laughed at the look on his brother's face as Mara sank two off the break. _Dean's really got to learn to control his mouth_ he couldn't help but think as he tried to stop laughing. He had been doing a lot of laughing the past few days, in fact both of them had. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so, content. _I know it can't last forever, but it's nice to see a small glimpse of what life could have been. What it should have been. _As he finished off his beer, he noticed that he was feeling a little warm and his palms were slightly damp.

"Hey," he said, leaning across the table to get Serena's attention. "Where are the bathrooms in here?"

"Head back towards the bar and they're over to the right," she said, turning around to point out the direction he should go.

He thanked her and smiled at Mara as he passed by her. She winked at him and then turned back to watch as Dean lined up his next shot. Sam made his way to the bathroom and once inside he headed straight for the line of sinks where he splashed some cold water on his face. He glanced up as another man came in and entered one of the stalls. Sam splashed some more water on his face and was reaching for some paper towels when he heard someone say something he couldn't quite catch.

"'Scuse me? I didn't hear what you said sir," he asked out loud, assuming it was the man in the stall.

"Uh I didn't say anything dude," the guy answered hesitantly.

Sam shrugged and had begun wiping his face when he heard it again. "You sure you didn't just say something?" he asked again.

"Yeah…pretty sure. I think I'd know if I said something, buddy," the guy said, a hint of frustration in his voice this time.

Sam finished drying his face and stood there for a moment, completely confused. He could have sworn he heard something. Then he heard it again.

_Oh Sam….it's time…_

Sam knew that voice all too well. It was starting up again and it couldn't have come at a more inopportune time. Getting frustrated with himself, he crumpled the paper towels in his hands and threw them with more force than necessary into the trash can, sending the swinging lid flying around its hinge as he stormed through the door.

He made his way back to the booth and slid in across from his brother.

"Where'd Mara and Serena go?" he asked, looking around for them.

"They went to go grab some more drinks," Dean said, draining the last beer on the table. "Mara whipped my ass in record time and needed something to celebrate with."

Sam only nodded in response, still dwelling on what had happened a few moments before.

"Hey Sammy…you okay?" Dean asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, yeah…I'm fine Dean. I could just really use another drink. It was a long day," Sam said, trying to push the incident to the far recesses of his mind.

"Well, they should…" Dean trailed off as he craned his neck, looking for the girls. He found them, but he also noticed the two men chatting them up. The old bartender saw him looking and jerked his head towards the girls sending the distinctive message of "Get your ass over here buddy!"

"Be right back Sam," Dean said, as he stood up and walked to the bar. Sam turned around in his seat, watching where his brother was stalking off to.

As Dean reached the spot where the girls were standing, each holding several drinks, he could hear what was being said.

"Why don't you come sit with us?" a shorter blonde man was saying as he leaned in close to Serena. "Couple of pretty things like you really shouldn't be alone."

"That's why they aren't," Dean interrupted, smiling down at the blonde man. He slipped an arm around Serena's waist and tugged her to his side. "I was wondering where you got off to sweetheart."

Serena flashed him a grateful smile. "Hi darling. Just getting us a few more drinks…would you be a dear and help me?"

"Sure thing babe," Dean said with a wink as he took most of the drinks she was trying to juggle.

"Well, Blondie here has a fella but I guess that leaves you baby," the darker haired man who had been standing there said, as he ran an eye up and down Mara.

She opened her mouth to say something smart to him, but he whirled around as someone tapped him on the shoulder and looked up into Sam Winchester's face.

"Sorry, but I believe she's taken as well," Sam said, smiling apologetically. "Better luck next time," he said, reaching out for Mara who swaggered over to his side.

"Nice talking to ya," Mara said sarcastically as Sam looped his arm around her waist and led her away.

As they reached the booth again, Serena couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks guys. We could have handled it but it was so nice to see the looks on their faces when you came up like that."

"Any time," Dean said, grinning. "Now, here's a toast," he said, distributing shots around the table, "to saving beautiful ladies." He lifted his glass to Serena and Mara.

"I'll drink to that," Sam agreed, smiling softly at Mara. There was a clink as they all set their empty shot glasses back on the table and then Mara quickly passed out another round.

"Here's another toast," she began, raising her glass. "To demon hunting knights in jeans, who happen to ride in an Impala instead of a horse." Everyone laughed before they tossed the shots back.

Mara and Dean's pool feud was quickly forgotten as they made their way through several more rounds of shots. They were extremely caught up in trying to determine who could come up with the most ridiculous toast when Jace Everett's "Bad Things" came over the speakers in the bar.

"Mara! Maaaraaa!!!" Serena exclaimed, her face cherry red as she laid down on the table.

"Laney? *hiccup* Are you okay?" Mara asked, her eyes slightly glazed over.

"Yes yes…it's a good song…let's dance!" Serena urged, crawling over Dean's lap to prop herself up at the end of the table. "Come on!" she demanded.

Mara sighed and extricated herself from the booth with very little grace, falling into a heap on the floor. Serena laughed and pulled her up, dragging her out onto the dance floor.

Dean's jaw dropped open as he watched the two women dancing to the song, and as he stole a quick glace around, he certainly wasn't the only one on the verge of drooling.

"Sammy…you watching this? DAMN! You know, I'm starting to think I hate Ruby a little less since she is the reason we came down here. Just a _little_ less though…I may give her a head start when I go to kill her…but DAMN!" Dean said, shaking his head. When Sam didn't answer, he turned back to face him. "Sammy? You okay?"

"Uhh…yeah Dean. I'm okay. Are _you_ okay?" Sam hiccuped. He threw back another shot, his head bobbing slightly.

"Oh damnit Sam, are you drunk?" Dean asked.

"Nope. I feel juuuust fine," Sam insisted with a goofy grin. "Hey Dean. Lean over here. I just thought of something really important."

"Uh…okay," Dean said, leaning forward. Sam leaned in as well and Dean could smell the liquor practically coming out of his pores. Sam always had been the light weight though.

"See Dean…I've been thinking," Sam said, looking at his brother's face intently. "And what I've been thinking is….you can be really cranky. I mean _really _cranky."

"Your point is Sam?" Dean growled.

"You…you need to get laid," Sam declared, sitting back and crossing his arms triumphantly.

"Excuse me? I need to _what??!_" Dean exclaimed, his eyes narrowing.

"Oh you heard me Dean. You need to…oh my god," Sam trailed off as his line of vision finally fell onto Mara and Serena on the dance floor.

"Sam! Sammy!" Dean called, but Sam just waved him off as he stared transfixed at Mara's drunken movements on the dance floor that were still sensual enough to have certain thoughts beating at his alcohol-soaked brain.

Dean sighed and pushed the beer in front of him away. If they were going to get home at all that night, someone was going to have to know what the hell was going on and it didn't look like anyone else was up for the job.

As the song ended, the girls stumbled back over to the booth, laughing hysterically. Mara tripped over her own feet and fell flat on her bottom yet again just as they reached the boys. She laughed even louder as Sam tried to help her up, but really only succeeded in sliding her across the floor.

"Okay okay, I think I'm done," she declared as she finally regained her footing. "A big glass of water please," she said to a passing waitress.

"Yeah well it looks like we're gonna have our hands full," Dean mused as Serena crawled back over him.

"Sam! Sam! Shot! We have to have another shot!" Serena yelled, slapping her hand on the table.

"Hey…it sounds like a good plan to me!" Sam agreed, picking one up. They tried to clink them together, but kept missing.

"Thanks," Mara said as the waitress returned with her water. She took a few gulps as she watched Sam and Serena repeatedly try to clink their glasses. They finally succeeded and tossed them back laughing. "Oh yeah, it's gonna be a long night. Once Serena gets going, it's hell to try and get her to stop," Mara observed.

"Great," Dean said, as he leaned back his seat. "I vote we just let them drink themselves into a coma and then we haul their asses out." He felt someone watching him, and he turned his head to see a very drunk Serena staring at him, mere inches from his face.

"Dean," she tried to whisper unsuccessfully. "Dean! I have a secret I need to tell you." He sighed and gestured for her to go on. She cupped her hands around her mouth and breathed, "I want to do bad things to you," in his ear.

Every nerve in his body was instantly aflame. Then realization kicked in and he laughed. "Oh, I see. You're just singing that song from earlier," he chuckled nervously.

"No no," she insisted. "I really want to do bad things to you," she said seductively, as she ran the tip of her tongue along the shell of his ear.

He jumped away from her like she had poured acid on his skin, scrambling out of the booth.

Mara had been too busy smiling at the goo goo eyes Sam was making at her to notice what was going on but she quickly turned around at that. "Yo, what got into your pants?" she asked.

"It's more like who's trying to get into them," he muttered. "I do not take advantage of drunk women, I do not take advantage of drunk women," he mumbled, pacing back and forth.

Mara's eyes darted from him to Serena and practically whooped when she noticed that Serena was the one on the offense.

With a sudden grace that completely belied her state of intoxication, Serena climbed out of the booth and sauntered over to Dean. She hooked her fingers into the front two belt loops of his jeans and pulled him to her suggestively. Dean swallowed hard as her gaze traveled from his crotch slowly up to his face.

"What's wrong Dean? I thought you liked me," she murmured softly, moving her right hand from the belt loop it held to trail lazily up and down his chest. "Don't you like me?"

"Oh hell yes," he blurted out. "B-but ya know you're a little drunk and I'm trying to keep your cousin from making good on her threat."

"Oh Mara won't mind," Serena promised, smiling sweetly at him. "I promise. Let's just you know, get to know each other a little better," she said, leaning in closer.

While Serena was trying to drunkenly seduce Dean, Mara watched in morbid fascination until a strong arm wrapped around her waist from behind.

"Hey beautiful," Sam whispered in her ear before he started pressing soft kisses to her neck.

The buzz Mara had been fighting off quickly dissolved as a new feeling filled her body. She turned around so she could face him, his goofy grin tugging at her heart. "Hey yourself handsome," she said, grinning back.

His glassy eyes began to close as he leaned in, pulling her towards him. Her brains were promptly turned to mush as he kissed the living daylights out of her, his hands traveling up the back of her shirt to press against her bare back. Electric shocks coursed through her, and she found herself wanting him like she had never wanted another man in her entire life. Part of her was screaming, _Go for it! Who cares if he's drunk? It'll still be amazing! _But the other part demanded she stop because it wouldn't be the same. Begrudgingly, she pushed herself away from him, silently cursing the infuriating angel on her shoulder.

"Whoa now," she cautioned. "Trust me, I'd really love to see where this goes but seriously, not tonight. You're just a little too drunk."

"Come on Mara, just a little taste?" Sam asked pitifully, freezing her with his gaze long enough for him to get close enough to nibble on her ear. "I want you Mara MacKeltar," he breathed to her between nibbles.

"Shit…shit….oh shit…" she cursed, trying valiantly to break the spell he was putting her under. Just as her will was crumbling, a yelp from Dean brought her back to reality.

"All right Mara, we've gotta get these two home. NOW!" a disheveled Dean with half his shirt buttons undone pleaded. "Seriously, if we don't get her behind a locked door I am _not_ responsible for what I do…at this point I'm willing to take my chances with you yanking my balls through my throat," he said, pointing back to Serena who was blowing kisses in his direction.

"Okay, okay," Mara grumbled, extricating herself from Sam's grasp. "We should be responsible and get them home safely. And unmolested. Damnit, I hate it when my conscience kicks in," she growled.

Dean raised his eyebrows in confusion, glancing from Mara's flushed face to Sam who was still looking at Mara with the same look she had given him the first time they met-like he was about to pounce. He was about to make a smart comment when Serena wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled his back.

"Okay…drunks in the car…NOW!" he ordered, pulling Serena around in front of him. "Mara you grab her, and I'll get Casanova here," he said, pulling Sam out of the booth and to his feet.

Mara glanced over at Charlie as she ushered Serena to the door and he hurried out from behind the bar to hold the front door open for them.

"Thanks Chuck," she said. "I'll come by tomorrow to settle the tab."

"Take your time," he insisted. "Just make sure you get them home safe."

"I looooove you Charlie," Serena gurgled happily.

He chuckled and patted her on the shoulder. "I love you too darlin'. You kids be safe now."

Mara and Dean managed to manhandle Sam and Serena enough to get them settled in the back seat of the Impala before climbing in themselves. Dean cranked the engine and turned up the music, obviously trying to distract himself. It really didn't help as "I Need You Tonight" by INXS came on, which prompted Sam and Serena to begin singing at the top of their lungs.

After one of Sam's particularly loud declarations of "I'm LONEEELLLYYY!!!" Mara and Dean glanced at one another.

"Yeah, we're screwed," Mara grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Tell me about it," Dean muttered, as Serena draped herself over the driver's seat, wrapping her arms around Dean's neck.

"I need you tonight," she sang seductively in his ear, causing him to swerve. Mara had to untangle her arms and push her back down in the seat so Dean could drive properly.

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity to the two in the front, they finally reached Serena's house. Somehow they managed to get them in the front door without much mayhem, but afterwards, Serena latched on to Dean and all of Mara's efforts could not pull her off.

"Okay, you take her up, but no funny business, I mean it," Mara warned, as Dean scooped Serena up in his arms.

He glared at Mara for a moment, then sighed and began muttering "I do not take advantage of drunk women, I do not take advantage of drunk women," over and over as he made his way up the stairs.

Mara looked Sam up and down as he swayed back and forth. "All right Gigantor, what am I going to do with you?"

"I can think of a couple of things," he said, reaching for her.

"Whoa now tiger, if I made Dean promise to be on his best behavior I can't well rip the clothes off you now can I?" she said, putting an arm around his waist and leading him towards the stair case.

"I don't know, I think you can," he said, stopping and lifting her completely off her feet as he kissed her stupid again.

She was breathing heavily as he set her back down on her feet. "I do not take advantage of drunk men, I do not take advantage of drunk men," she growled as she shoved him forward up the stairs.

* * *

Dean finally reached Serena's room, which hadn't been easy with her nuzzling his neck and raining kisses along his jaw line. He deposited her on the giant four poster bed in the middle of the room and headed to her bathroom to get a trash can in case she needed it during the night. He walked back into her room and promptly dropped the one he was holding.

As soon as Serena saw him, she began crawling towards him across the bed singing, "Whatever Serena wants…Serena gets…and little man, Serena wants _you_." She sat up on her knees and beckoned him forward with a crook of her finger. Dean couldn't stop himself, in a flash he was across the room and had her pinned beneath him on the bed. She smiled broadly and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to her.

His heart was pounding in his chest and every sense he had was demanding that he follow nature's course and satisfy the fire that was threatening to consume him. She stretched up and entwined her arms around his neck, pulling his face towards hers. As he neared her lips, he knew that if he were to kiss her now, there would be no turning back for him. His eyes narrowed to slits as he threw caution to the wind and he was about to claim her lips with his own when a voice shot through his head that sounded a lot like the annoying angel that had forcefully perched on his shoulder.

_Not now Dean. You must wait. _

"Damnit Cas, you really do have the freakin' _worst_ timing," he growled, pulling back from Serena.

"What's wrong?" she asked, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Nothing sweetheart, you just need to get some sleep that's all. Now get under the covers and go to sleep. If you feel sick, I'm going to put a trash can beside the bed, okay?" he instructed, as he climbed back off the bed.

Serena only nodded, her head bobbing a little too much as she scrambled under the covers. Dean retrieved the trash can and set it right beside her bed and was turning to leave when she called out to him softly. "Dean?"

"Yeah?" he asked, his heart still pounding in his ears as he walked back to her side. She looked up at him from her pillow and smiled warmly.

"Thank you," she said sweetly, as her big blue eyes and soft voice promptly smashed through the walls he had stacked around his heart.

His voice caught in his throat and for the first time, he was glad that his guardian angel had a penchant for butting in. "You're welcome Shortie. Now get some rest." Once she snuggled back under the comforter, he left and hurried to his own room where he locked the door behind him and put a chair in front of it…just in case.

* * *

Somehow, Mara managed to lug Sam up the stairs and into his room. She made him sit on the side of the bed as she tugged his boots off, and then she pulled back the covers and tucked him in. As she bent over to give him a good night kiss on his cheek, he grabbed a hold of her arms and dragged her into the bed with him.

"Sam, what are you doing?" she asked as he kicked off the comforter and draped a long leg over both of hers.

"Just stay with me," he asked, snuggling up to her back and inhaling. "You smell really good."

"I smell like biker bar," she pointed out, laughing.

"No, you smell like Mara. I like that," he corrected, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Sam, I can't stay here all night," she protested.

"Yes you can. I promise I'll be good, hunter's honor. Just stay with me tonight. When you're around me, I feel…at peace," he said with a sigh.

"At peace?"

"Yeah, you make me feel content; happy, like I'm not the freak everyone thinks I am," he said sleepily.

"Sam, no one thinks you're a freak," Mara said, but still she held on to his arms a little tighter. The yearning in his voice for acceptance was just about to break her heart and she couldn't imagine how someone could _not_ love him.

"Oh you'd be surprised," he said, stifling a yawn. "You'd be surprised. But you're not like them Mara…you're different. Different from anyone I've ever met. I'm glad I met you."

She smiled into the dark and used her feet to kick off her own boots so she could settle in for the night. "I'm glad I met you too Sam Winchester. More than you'll probably know."

* * *

As the sun's rays fell across her face the next morning, Mara woke up in a state of panic. There was something heavy around both her waist and legs. She tensed herself to fight off whatever it was, but then the previous night's memories came flooding back to her, causing her to grin. She snuggled back into Sam's embrace for a few more peaceful moments before she realized he was snoring. She carefully extracted herself from his hold and saw that he was still completely passed out, mouth open, and snoring slightly. His disheveled hair was strewn around his face and the pillow in all directions and Mara felt a sudden rush of affection for him in that moment. He looked so innocent, so peaceful right then, more like a child than the man he was. After the little bit he had said the night before, she could only wonder what exactly he had been through and the possibilities caused her heart to ache again for him. Brushing his hair away from his face, she kissed his forehead before climbing out of the bed. Sam's only reaction was to grumble, roll over, and continue snoring.

Mara quietly made her way through the still house to the kitchen. After starting a pot of coffee she knew Serena would desperately need when she did wake up, she grabbed her customary two cans of soda from the fridge and set about scrounging up some breakfast.

She was just finishing up a stack of pancakes when heavy footsteps alerted her to Dean's approach.

"Morning," she called out as she flipped her fourth pancake from the pan to a plate.

"Morning," he croaked, pouring a big mug of coffee for himself and plopping down at the island.

Mara took one look at the dark circles under his eyes and slid the stack of pancakes in front of him.

"I think you need these right now more than I do," she quipped. He tried to wave her off, but she kept pushing them back to him. "Seriously, eat something. Then tell me everything that happened last night. If I'm going to have to disembowel you, I'd like for you to at least put up a bit of a fight."

Dean glared at her as he stuffed his mouth with pancakes. "Seriously," he said, pointing his fork at her, "after the night I had, I should be given a freakin' medal." As he made his way through the stack, he told her about what happened, conveniently leaving out the fact that it was only because of heavenly intervention that she _didn't_ need to carry through on her threat.

Mara laughed as she leaned back on her bar stool. "Damn. I really do need to give you a medal or something. I just can't believe it…who would have thought she had it in her? I'm kinda proud."

"Yeah well you weren't the one who had to lock himself in his room last night," Dean grumbled as he finished off his coffee. "Which reminds me…what _did_ you do last night? Please tell me my brother didn't wimp out on you."

"Only after he dragged me into bed with him," Mara said with a devilish gleam in her eyes.

A big grin broke out on Dean's face. "Thatta boy Sammy!!" he whooped.

"Just what kind of woman do you think I am?" Mara chided. "Nothing happened. I'm not going to threaten you with your life and then go have my own fun. Sam was way too drunk for me to do something in good conscience…but you'd better believe that if he puts the moves on me again while he's sober, it's on," she said with a grin. "And did you know he snores?"

"Yeah he does," Dean laughed. "He does that little whistling thing after too," he said, trying to imitate Sam's snores.

"Yeah well this morning it was more of a whistle, snore, whistle…like this," Mara said, doing her own impersonation.

"Just what are you two yelling about?" a sleepy voice addressed them from the door frame. Sam didn't wait for an answer as he staggered in, promptly sitting down and pressing his forehead against the cool marble top of the island.

Dean got up and grabbed another mug of coffee for him. "Here," he said, nudging it towards Sam. "I knew you'd feel like hell this morning."

"I feel worse than hell," Sam mumbled as he sat up to sip at the steaming liquid. "I've bypassed all seven layers and went somewhere much, much worse."

Mara rubbed his back sympathetically. "Cheer up Sunshine, in a few hours you'll start to feel human again."

Sam groaned and put his forehead back on the marble again.

"Oh Sammy, you never learn do you," Dean laughed. "I can always whip up my famous hangover cure ya know. You remember what it is…"

"Dean," Sam interrupted, holding up a hand. "Just stop right there."

Mara looked between the two for a moment, then just shrugged as she stood back up. "I guess I'll whip up a few more pancakes so Mr. Hangover can get something on his stomach."

After Mara had made several more batches and all three were making their way through them, Serena finally stumbled into the kitchen. Mara watched as Dean and Serena made eye contact, causing her cousin to blush furiously and pay an inordinate amount of attention to making a cup of coffee. What was most telling though, was the look on Dean's face. If she didn't know better, Mara would swear his whole countenance softened…_must be the light_.

"So Laney," Mara spoke up. "Just what did happen last night?"

"What?" Serena jumped, spinning around so fast, some of her coffee splashed over the sides of the mug. "N-nothing happened as far as I know Mara. I don't really remember anything to be honest," she stammered nervously, leaning back against the counter for support.

"Yeah…suuure you don't," Mara teased as she turned back to her breakfast. As she munched, she began humming "Whatever Lola Wants". As soon as they recognized the tune, Serena turned a whole new shade of red and Dean turned his full attention to his plate.

"I missed something, didn't I?" Sam asked, glancing around at the others.

"I'll tell you later," Mara promised in a quiet voice.

"There's nothing to tell," Serena snapped.

"Just drink your coffee Laney."


	9. Treading on Thin Ice

Two hours later found everyone beginning to return to normal. Showers had been taken, Sam had finally been filled in on the _entire_ story, and Mara had stopped tormenting Serena with certain musical selections. While Sam had made some strides toward sobriety, he wasn't out of the woods yet; as a clock chimed out a set of tones to announce it was eleven o'clock, he buried his head beneath several cushions on the couch he was sitting on.

"You really should stay away from liquor at all costs," Mara commented as she tried to extricate him from the pile he was burrowing under.

"I can't help it if everyone keeps yelling at me," he hissed as she finally uncovered his face.

"Fine then, suffocate," she said, replacing the cushions and adding a few more.

"Why are you trying to suffocate Sam?" Serena asked calmly as she entered the living room and curled up in an oversized armchair.

"Oh I'm not doing anything, he's doing it all on his own," Mara explained, patting Sam's leg affectionately. "I swear, the bigger they are, the more they whine when they don't feel well."

"I am _not_ whining," Sam's voice said from beneath the fabric mountain.

"Yeah, yeah, you keep telling yourself that, but from up here it sounds an awful lot like you're whining," Mara scolded. "So Laney, what's on the agenda for today?" she asked, turning her attention back to Serena as she leaned back against Sam's side.

"Well, it's such a nice day outside, I was sort of hoping we could do some fishing," Serena suggested. "I've been wanting to go for a while but just haven't had the time."

"I'm not leaving this couch until the house party in my head goes away," Sam mumbled as he lifted his head out of the cushions.

"I guess I should stay here and make sure Gigantor really doesn't pass out and suffocate himself. You should never leave a child to his own devices," Mara said with a grin.

"Hey!" Sam protested, sitting up slowly as he held a hand to his forehead.

"Water," Mara instructed, pointing to the glass on the coffee table in front of them. "Why don't we just hang around the house today? I could really go for some target practice."

"I don't know, I was just really feeling kinda…" Serena began.

"I swear, if I don't get out of this house I'm going to explode," Dean interrupted as he burst into the living room from the hallway.

"Dude," Sam groaned, "you're killing me. Can you keep the bellowing to a minimum?"

"Sorry Boozie, but someday you've gotta learn that you need to stay away from the hard stuff. You're a lousy drunk," Dean said as he gave his brother a look.

"And you're not?" Sam fired back.

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed, pointing at Sam. "The last time I got as trashed as you were last night I think I was oh….seventeen? It's fine when you're young and stupid but now, well Sammy it's just sad. Anyway, why are we all sitting around here? It's frickin' gorgeous outside and we already kicked the bad guy's ass. Time for some fun!" he said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "What're we doing?"

"Sleeping," Sam answered as he gulped down the last of the water in his glass.

"Aw come on," Dean protested. "Mara? What about you?"

"Nah, I'm just gonna stay around here today. Serena was talking about doing some fishing though," Mara said, flashing her cousin a bright smile. "You guys should go."

Serena stiffened. "Well, I mean, Dean may not even want to go," she mumbled.

"Hell yeah I do! Man, it's been years since I got to do any fishing. Come on Shortie, me and you. Let's go," he said with a wink. "Besides, somebody's gotta swing me by the park so I can pick my baby back up."

Serena flicked her gaze over to Mara who was leaning back with a satisfied look on her face. "Okay," she sighed. "I know a place on the river where we can rent some rods. On the way back, I can drop you off at the Impala."

"All right, well let's get going!" Dean said, standing up. "Sammy, try to be human again by the time we get back."

"Kiss my ass Dean," Sam grumbled.

"All right," Serena interrupted. "We should only be gone for a few hours. You know where everything is but call me if you need anything."

"Have fun you two," Mara called as they headed towards the kitchen. Serena halfway smiled back but Dean shot her a full on grin. She heard snatches of conversation as they headed outside and then finally the front door shutting.

"It's about time," Sam declared as he settled back into the corner of the couch.

Mara raised her eyebrow at him in suspicion. "About time what?"

"Those two got things out in the open. I just hope they'll get around to actually talking about this thing going on between them. Dean deserves a few moments of happiness and I think she could be really good for him. He's really been through a lot lately…" Sam trailed off, shaking his head.

"Okay first off," Mara began, "I think you just said more than you have all day so maybe you really are returning to sober land. Second, I feel the exact same way. Third, I'm just glad to have the house to ourselves."

"And why's that?" Sam asked.

"Because they're not the only ones who deserve a good thing. I'm just glad we're a lot quicker at realizing things than they are," Mara said with a grin, crawling into his lap.

"So am I," Sam replied, tilting her head back so he could kiss her.

* * *

The warm, humid air whipped around Serena and Dean as Serena steered her sleek gunmetal grey convertible down the road. They had been driving along in comfortable silence for several minutes when Dean cleared his throat.

"So, nice car. I never really got the chance to say that before but I really haven't had the chance to see it up close til now," he said, glancing over at Serena.

"Thanks," she said smiling. "All those years of school actually seemed worth it when I bought this baby," she said, patting the steering wheel of her Lexus SC 430. "I don't tend to splurge that often but I just really couldn't help myself."

Dean opened his mouth as though he were about to say something else, but stayed silent instead. After a few more moments, Serena reached to switch on her radio and began singing along with "Never Say Never" by The Fray. Dean waited as long as he could and then he reached over to turn the volume all of the way down.

"Listen, no offense, but someone has got to teach you what decent music is," he said.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "The other morning you said you liked the song I was playing."

"Yeah well I've also said that I liked antiquing before, but both times I about chewed my tongue off. I was just trying to be a nice guy, but the truth is, you need help."

"And just what am I supposed to listen to? Crap like Metallica?" she quipped, not taking her eyes off the road.

Dean's jaw dropped. "Okay whoa. I know you did not just say that," he said staring at her in abject horror.

Serena couldn't help but laugh when she saw the expression on his face. "I had a feeling that would hit a nerve."

"There is seriously something wrong with you," Dean muttered.

"You know, you just may be right about that," she said, shooting him a devilish grin as she slowed down to make the turn down the narrow road to their right. "Since this is kind of like a first date, should we play the get to know you game?"

"Whoa whoa…." Dean stammered. "No way this counts as a date. I mean, I didn't even freakin' drive. I can't have a girl taking me on a date."

Serena laughed as she pulled into a small parking lot in front of a rundown boat house that advertised all sorts of fishing paraphernalia. "Okay so it's not a date. Still up for a few rounds of twenty questions?"

"Depends on what kind of questions you're asking," Dean replied as he climbed out of the car. "And whether or not you're gonna pull the head doctor card and start analyzing me."

"I'm off duty today," Serena assured him with a grin as they walked across the gravel. "No analyzing, I promise."

* * *

"So how did you and Sam get into this line of business?" Serena asked as they made their way to one of her favorite spots under a large weeping willow.

"I guess you could say it runs in the family," Dean answered, setting their gear down. "My dad started us out from an early age, teaching us everything he knew."

"That must have made for a rough childhood," Serena commented as she set up her rod.

"If you could even really call it that," Dean snorted. "We were always the freaks, the outsiders. Moving around from place to place. Always chasing something else down. But we made it out okay I guess. It could have been worse."

"Is your dad still a hunter?"

Dean paused a moment before answering, squinting his eyes as if the sun were shining in them. "Once a hunter, always a hunter. You don't really just walk away from the job. If he were still alive, yeah, he'd still be hunting."

"I'm sorry to hear he's no longer with us," Serena murmured, watching his face with concern. She placed a hand on his forearm and squeezed it gently.

"Yeah, me too," he said, not meeting her gaze.

Serena stayed silent as she sat down on the ground, started baiting the hook on her rod and then cast her line out into the pond. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he baited his hook and tried to cast, missing the pond by a few yards. She tried not to laugh, but a small giggle escaped.

"What?" Dean asked, his face turning slightly pink. "It's been a long time. I gotta relearn how to cast properly."

"Sure." Serena replied as she tried not to laugh outright.

After a few more attempts, Dean finally landed a sinker into the pond, and turned to her with a satisfied smile.

"How often do you come out here?" Dean asked.

"As often as I can, when the weather's nice. Although I've been really busy lately and haven't gotten out here for a month or so," Serena replied as she reeled in her line and cast again into a different spot. "It's peaceful out here. No cars, few people. I can sit out here and just let my mind wander, yunno?"

"Yeah…I haven't been able to do that in a long while…although driving does help me calm down," Dean said as he recast into the pond, this time hitting the pond on the first try.

"Do you drive everywhere? You never fly?" Serena asked, turning slightly towards him.

Dean turned slightly pink again and cleared his throat before he replied, "Umm…yeah. I always drive. I'm not really that fond of flying."

"Ah. Well you must take really good care of your car for it to still be running as good as it does," Serena replied with a smile at him.

"That car is my baby. You're damn right I take good care of her," Dean said with a laugh.

They sat in companionable silence for a few while, both casting into the pond in regular intervals.

"So what do you think your cousin and my brother are up to right now?" Dean asked with a smirk.

Serena wrinkled her nose at him and said, "I'm not sure I want to guess as to what they're doing. But knowing Mara…she's probably playing with her blades or watching a movie…but probably both. She has a hard time sitting still."

Dean laughed, "Well…I'm hoping Sam doesn't sleep for too long...it's been a really long time since I've seen him laugh as much as he has been."

"What do you mean?" Serena asked with a small frown.

"Oh...well…umm…it's just that Sam takes this job so seriously sometimes. You see…well…a few years back…he lost his girlfriend to a demon. He was really torn up and came onto the hunt with me for revenge. We found out that the demon was the same one that had gotten our mom when we were kids. It was rough on both of us. We lost our dad before we were able to ghost the sucker. But we got him and since then…well…Sam….he's just had a rough time with women. They don't tend to stick around," Dean finished off in a hurry, realizing just how much he was opening up to Serena. He wasn't sure if that was such a good idea right now.

Serena sat very still for a moment, then she set her fishing pole down and scooted over to Dean, giving him a gentle hug. "I'm very sorry to hear about your parents, Dean. I'm not sure what to say other than that just stinks."

Dean was so startled it took him a minute to recover and return her embrace. "Thanks, Shortie. It's okay."

Serena returned to her fishing pole, but moved to sit much closer to Dean than she had been before. She looked at him, watching him stare out onto the pond with a far off look on his face. She realized she was doomed. She was falling for this man harder than she had ever fallen before. She gave a mental shrug, deciding to finally take Mara's advice and just roll with the punches.

Dean noticed her new seating arrangement and couldn't hold back the wide grin that crinkled his face. He hadn't felt this relaxed since…well, he didn't know if he really had been this relaxed before. In fact, he found it completely ironic that he was out here with a beautiful woman he hardly knew, fishing. Any other time, he'd be the one back at the house doing things with her that he was a lot better at than casting. No telling what Sam was actually up to back there, but he was just happy sitting here….with her. Chatting. That in itself sent off every warning signal he had. Instead of turning away though, he found himself continuously edging closer to the edge of the precipice….

"So what do _you_ think your brother and my cousin are doing?" Serena asked with a grin, interrupting his thoughts.

Dean gave an exaggerated shudder. "God only knows with those two…if you had asked me a month ago, I would've said that Sam would just be sitting there looking nervous. But now…I'm not so sure. Either way…I hope they're having fun."

Serena agreed with a nod.

The next few hours were spent talking, laughing, and just enjoying one another's company and the peaceful quiet of the river.

* * *

Back at Serena's house, Mara had been flipping channels on the television for an hour or so, going back and forth between shows. She turned to ask Sam if he wanted to put in an actual movie and saw that he was asleep, halfway curled up under the mountain of pillows. She shook her head and smiled, moving some of the pillows off his face so he could breathe properly. Slowly getting off the couch, she made her way down to the weapons cache and surveyed the blade collection she kept there. Deciding that the best way to pass the time was to clean her blades, she gathered her whetting stone, an oiling cloth and oil, and a stool and sat down to work. She turned on the stereo to play quietly while she sang along softly with the music as she worked.

Sam woke up slowly, stretching as he realized Mara wasn't on the couch with him like she had been when he'd fallen asleep. He sat up slowly, sighing in relief as he noticed that his hangover was gone. He turned off the TV and stood up, listening to try and figure out where Mara had gone off to in the house. He made his way down to the weapons cache, following the sound of blades being sharpened and stopped at the doorway. He watched in fascination as Mara sharpened and oiled a blade, softly sing with a song he'd never heard before, although it sounded like a cross between country and rock. As she absently tucked a stray curl under her ear, he gave a soft knock to the door. She didn't even glance up, so he knocked a little harder. Mara stood up and went to the stereo, pausing the song.

"Feeling better?" she asked as she turned to smile at him.

"Feeling great actually…you didn't have to pause the song," he replied as he pulled up another stool next to hers from across the room.

"It's one of my favorite songs of all time, so I'll just start it over," Mara said as she started the song over and moved back to her stool, continuing to sing along. Sam sat quietly, watching this quiet side of Mara he had only seen fleeting glances of. After the song was over, he turned the stereo down a little bit so it would be easier to talk. Mara only nodded and grabbed a clean oil cloth from a pile.

"What's the name of that song?" Sam asked as he leaned down to catch her attention.

"It's called _'A Different Kind of Knight' _ by Christian Kane," Mara said, looking up.

"I like it. It's different and a bit intense. Kinda like someone I know," Sam replied with a smile, laughing when Mara blushed furiously.

"So….what's with all the weapons and the training? Were you in the military?" Sam asked as he surveyed the room.

"No…according to my father, I'm too insubordinate to survive the military," Mara said with a smile.

Sam raised an eyebrow at her reply and urged her to go on.

"Well…Serena and I grew up in different areas, although we visited each other every school break and our families always spend at least one major holiday together. I grew up right outside of a city…so my father took me to karate classes so that I would know how to defend myself. I liked it so when I got older I asked to continue the classes and also asked for weapons training. I took a liking to blades since they're easier to carry than a gun in a city." Mara went on as she picked up a new blade and began to sharpen it. "Laney grew up in the country in a small town. Her dad would take her along sometimes when he went hunting and she got used to handling a gun. She took a liking to them and kept the hobby up like I did with knives. Her dad was a lot like mine in the karate lessons though…although she didn't go as far as I did in the classes. She's still a black belt though."

"Wow. Sounds like you two had an interesting childhood," Sam said as he took the blade Mara was holding and began oiling it so that she could start sharpening a new blade.

"Interesting, yes. But it was fun. We were rather spoiled…but we had to earn anything we got. But we had it better than most I'd wager," Mara said, turning to smile at him.

Mara swallowed hard at the look in Sam's eyes. It was the same look she had gotten the night before, but the difference was he was sober now. The intensity of his stare was sending shivers down her spine though. As Sam leaned a little closer, Mara slid off her stool to stand in between his bent knees and pressed her body flush against his. She smiled at his sharp intake of breath and lightly kissed his cheek. She closed her eyes and sighed happily as Sam lightly ran his hands up her arms and neck, sliding them into her hair around her ears and the nape of her neck. She opened her eyes to find him staring at her mouth, causing her to lick her lips nervously. She wasn't used to being stared at so intently, but instead of putting her on edge like she would have thought, she found it was giving her a pure feminine power trip. She watched his eyes widen as she licked her lips and then her entire world narrowed down into sensation as he kissed her passionately. She reacted on pure instinct, returning the fervor of his kiss as she clutched his shoulders. She groaned and pouted when he broke off the kiss to stand up and look around. Just as her cells were returning back to the confines of her brain, Sam picked her up. She squeaked and wrapped her legs around his waist so she wouldn't fall as he walked the few feet over to the counter. As he set her down he returned to kissing her and she felt as though his hands were everywhere on her body at once, like he couldn't decide where he wanted to touch her the most. She arched into his hands and began her own exploration of his body, moaning into the kiss at the feel of the strong muscles in his arms and shoulders.

Sam pulled back reluctantly and watched as Mara's eyes started to refocus on her surroundings.

"Did you hear that?" he asked as he looked around the room again.

Mara sat completely still for a few moments. "Hear what? All I hear is us. What did it sound like?"

"I don't know…I could've sworn I heard something though," Sam said with a frown as he stepped back and helped Mara off the counter.

"It might've been a cell phone. Mine's up on the kitchen counter I think. I'll go check it," Mara replied as she rubbed Sam's chest lightly and walked out of the room.

_This has got to be the worst timing ever,_ Sam thought as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. _I really wish I didn't have to do this anymore, but what choice do I have? It's the only way I can stay strong enough._ He dialed a number and waited as it rang and then went to voicemail.

"Ruby…It's Sam. I need more. Call me." Sam clenched a hand in his hair as he fought the sudden dizziness that came over him. He looked over and could've sworn he saw something, but as he looked again there was nothing there but the cases of weaponry. He shook his head as if that would clear up his problem and walked up the stairs. He found Mara in the kitchen on her phone, talking about food. As she hung up he went over to her and pulled her into an embrace so tight she squeaked.

"Are you okay, Sam?" Mara asked as she pulled back slightly to look at his face intently.

"I'm fine, Just need some fresh air. Will you sit out on the deck with me?" he asked, staring down as he entwined both of his hands with hers.

"Sure. Are you sure you're alright? Do you need some aspirin? Laney and Dean are picking up stuff to grill out on their way home," she asked as he followed his gaze to their hands.

"I'm fine. Promise." Sam smiled at her as he lifted both of her hands to place a kiss on each one. Mara blushed again and tried to pull her hands back as she looked away with a small smile. He realized then that he was falling for her and he wasn't quite sure if he should be worried or not. As they walked out onto the back deck and sat down on the swing, he refused to let go of her hand. When she snuggled in close to his body, he realized he needed to get a handle on what was going on or he was going to end up hurting the people he cared so much about.

Only a few minutes had passed when Sam felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Shame flooded through him at the prospect of what he was about to do. He fished it out, only to have his suspicions confirmed.

"I hate to run off, but it's Bobby and I really need to talk to him about something," he said sheepishly. "I'll be back in just a few minutes."

"Okay," Mara said, smiling trustingly up at him. "I'll just wait for you here."

Sam's heart clenched painfully and for a brief moment, he desperately wanted to tell her everything. But then she'd try to stop him. That was the whole reason he couldn't tell Dean either. This was something he had to do, for the sake of everyone. So he smiled at her and walked back into the house, pressing the button to answer the call.

"I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me," Ruby's voice accused him.

"Listen, we need to do this as soon and as quickly as possible. I don't think I can swing getting away from here right now but I'm at…"

"I know where you are Sam," she interrupted coolly. "I can be there in thirty. I'll let you know when I'm there. Just come meet me out back."

"I wish we didn't have to do this," Sam lamented.

"You and I both know there's no other way to get you where you need to be," she said. "It has to be done Sam. Don't chicken out on me now. We've come too far."

"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "I'll meet you in thirty minutes."

"I got one question before you go Sam," Ruby said hurriedly. "Who is she?"

Even over the phone, Sam could hear jealously leech into her voice as she spoke those last three words. If she knew where they were, of course she had been watching them. Which could only mean she had seen how he was drawn to Mara. The last thing he needed was a jealousy-driven demon to deal with. Especially one who was gunning for Mara. No, he wasn't going to drag her into the crosshairs along with him.

"Nobody," he urged. "She's nobody."

Ruby paused for a moment, obviously deciding if she believed him or not. "Okay," she finally said, sounding much brighter. "See you soon Sam."

"Yeah, see you soon," Sam muttered after he ended the call. He stood in the hallway for a few moments, running a hand through his hair, trying to figure out just how he'd gotten into this mess in the first place. _Oh yeah, my brother got sent to hell. That's how this all got started….lucky me, _he thought. He took a deep breath before turning around to head back out onto the deck. When he came out the door, Mara looked up at him, smiling, but her smile quickly died.

"What's wrong Sam?" she asked worriedly, jumping up. "Is something wrong with Bobby?"

"No no," he assured her. "Bobby's fine. I'm just having a relapse of that hangover I think," he said, trying to laugh it off. "It's just a headache though, really."

"You sure it's nothing more than that?" she asked, her green eyes boring into his. For a second, he thought she was going to say she knew what he was up to, but she didn't. "You look really pale. I think you need to go lie down again," she insisted, wrapping an arm around his waist as she ushered him back into the house.

"Yeah, I think that would help," he agreed. _No, what I really need is more demon blood. Cause yeah, don't have enough of that already now do I?_ he thought sarcastically.

She led him back to the couch and lightly tucked a blanket over him. "Just relax for a few minutes. Try to be on your feet by the time Dean gets back though or you'll never stop catching hell from him okay?" she asked with a wink.

"Okay," he agreed with a smile. _I'm fine Mara. I'm just lying to you, that's all. _

"I'll go get you some aspirin just in case though, be right back," she said before she headed for the staircase.

"Thanks," he called out after her. _I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._

* * *

**AN: We're heading into the set up for the real plot of the story. :o) The next bit is going to get pretty rocky for everyone-drama will of course ensue. And for anyone who is a Ruby fan (shame on you! Hahaha) there will be no Ruby loving here. Fair warning. A big thanks to everyone for reading as always and don't forget to click the button and let us know what you think!!**


	10. Authors' Note

**UPDATE: **Hey guys!! Sorry it's taking so long for a new chapter to get put up but we promise there's a reason for that! We are just about finished with the whole thing so we're going to get it all written out and then go back and make sure everything lines up and is edited correctly before we start posting again. Once all that is done, the rest of the chapters should be posted fairly close to one another though-we're hoping that will be a quick process. We're really sorry this isn't something new and exciting to read, but you should have a whole lot to read in the next few weeks!! The story has taken on a mind of its own and has DRASTICALLY changed from the first few chapters, but we think, and we hope that you will too, that it's a change for the better!! We can't thank you guys enough for taking the time to read through our work and we just hope that by the end, you think it was worth it!! Thanks again so much for being incredible readers!!

With love,

Audri and Auryonette


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